


The De-Aged Doctor and the Titan's Curse

by Whovian101



Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Olympians [3]
Category: Doctor Who, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-05
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:48:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 40,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23021986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whovian101/pseuds/Whovian101
Summary: After spending the school year together, Doctor and Percy embark on a journey to help Grover and two other Half-Bloods with unknown parentage. But like always, nothing is as simple as it seems.
Series: The De-Aged Doctor and the Olympians [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1608964
Comments: 20
Kudos: 45





	1. Rescue Mission Gone Awry

The Friday before winter break, Ms. Jackson took Percy and the Doctor to a new boarding school, picking up Annabeth and Thalia along the way. It was an eight hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. The Doctor and Percy hadn’t seen Annabeth and Thalia in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what they were about to do, everyone was much too nervous to talk, well, everyone apart from the Doctor and Percy’s mother. By the time they arrived at Westover Hall, the Doctor knew nearly everything there was to know about the woman, and she had been downright fascinated with the small details the Doctor let slip about himself.

It was getting dark and Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. “Oh, yeah. This’ll be fun.”

Westover Hall looked like a medieval castle made of black stone with towers, slit windows, and a massive set of wooden double doors. It stood over a snowy cliff that overlooked a frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to wait?” Percy’s mother asked anxiously.

“No, thanks, Mom,” Percy said. “I don’t know how long it will take. We’ll be okay.”

“But how will you get back? I’m worried, Percy.”

“It’s okay, Ms. Jackson.” Annabeth said reassuringly, “We’ll keep ‘em out of trouble.”

Percy’s mother seemed to relax a bit. “All right, dears, do you have everything you need?”

“Yes, Ms. Jackson,” Thalia said. “Thanks for the ride.”

“Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?”

“We’ll be fine,” The Doctor assured her, “I’ll make sure of it.”

She smiled gratefully.

“Yeah, we’ll be fine.” Percy nodded, “Come on, let’s go.”

Annabeth, Percy, Thalia, and the Doctor made their way outside, the wind was harsh and cold.

“Your mom is so cool, Percy.” Thalia said once the car was out of sight.

“She’s pretty okay,” Percy admitted, “What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?”

The Doctor could tell that the moment Percy said it, he regretted it. 

“If that was any of your business, Percy –”

“We’d better get inside,” Annabeth interrupted. “Grover will be waiting.”

Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. “You’re right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call.”

Percy stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. “Nothing good.” He guessed.

The oak doors groaned open, and the four of them stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.

The place was massive, and the walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a truly ridiculous amount of weapons. This military school was a bit overkill.

The Doctor saw Percy’s hand slide into his pocket where he was clutching Riptide, Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, which was her favorite magical item. They were preparing for a fight.

“I wonder where –” Annabeth began, but was cut off as the doors loudly slammed shut behind them.

“Oo-kay,” Percy mumbled. “Guess we’ll stay awhile.”

Music was echoing from the other end of the hall, it sounded as though there was a dance in occurrence.

Stashing their overnight bags behind a pillar, the Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, and Thalia started down the hall, but didn’t get very far before hearing footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched from the shadows to intercept them.

They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache and the man was clean shaven. Both walked stiffly, completely straight backs, it reminded the Doctor of the Academy.

“Well?” The woman demanded. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m the Doctor,” The Doctor said as though it was the most obvious thing in the world, smoothly pulling out the psychic paper, “Don’t tell me you weren’t informed of my presence, my superiors would be greatly displeased.”

The man paled as he looked at the paper, “Oh, yes, of course. I’m very sorry, I didn’t recognize you. Of course, may we escort you to the headmaster?”

“No, no, we are waiting for an associate, I am confident he will find us just fine –”

“You made it!” A voice shouted from down the hall, and Grover came running over towards them, “You –” He caught sight of the teachers, “Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk, Dr. Thorn, I, uh –”

“What  _ is  _ it, Mr. Underwood?” Mr. Thorn demanded.

“Ah! Grover,” The Doctor said loudly, silencing the teacher, “Lovely, if you don’t mind –”

“No, of course not.” The two teachers retreated.

“That was awesome.” Thalia grinned, “What  _ is  _ that?” She pointed to the psychic paper, still in the Doctor’s hand.

“Psychic paper.” The Doctor grinned as the five made their way down the hall in the direction of the music, over to a door marked  _ Gym.  _

“That was close,” Grover breathed. “Thank the gods you got here!”

Grover had gotten a little taller in the months since the Doctor had seen him, and he had sprouted a few more whiskers. Other than that, though, he looked as he always did: A red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his horns, baggy jeans, and sneakers will false feet. He was wearing a black T-shirt that read: WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT.

“What’s the emergency?” The Doctor cut to the chase. 

Grover took a deep breath. “I found two.”

“Two half-bloods?” Thalia asked, amazed. “Here?”

Grover nodded.

Finding one half-blood was rare enough, and this year Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times, and they were losing campers. 

“A brother and sister,” Grover went on, “They’re ten and twelve. I don’t know their parentage, but they’re strong. We’re running out of time, though. I need help.”

“Monsters?” Percy inquired.

“One.” Grover looked nervous. “He suspects. I don’t think he’s positive yet, but this is the last day of term. I’m sure he won’t let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he’s always there, blocking me. I don’t know what to do.”

“I don’t know how he’s gonna stop five of us.” Percy pointed out. “We just need one to distract him.”

“These half-bloods are at the dance?” Thalia asked.

Grover nodded.

“Then let’s dance. Who’s the monster?”

“Oh,” Grover said, looking around nervously. “You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn.”

Despite the initial appearance, the students turned out to be most unlike those of the Academy. But that was humans for you: They kids were going absolutely mad in such a strict environment, so a special event was their time to overcompensate.

The gym was covered in black and red balloons, which the young boys were using to kick into each other’s faces, or if they weren’t doing that, they were attempting to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved around in football huddles, each wearing a full face of makeup, thinly strapped tops, and brightly coloured trousers. Every once in a while, they’d surround a poor boy shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the boy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of graffiti all over his face. Some of the older boys looked more uncomfortable, hanging out around the edges of the gym and trying to hide.

“There they are.” Grover nodded towards a couple of younger students arguing in the bleachers. “Bianca and Nico di Angelo.”

The girl, Bianca, was wearing a floppy green cap, as though she was trying to hide her face. The boy she was arguing with was clearly her younger brother, Nico. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they spoke. The boy was shuffling what looked to be a type of trading cards, and his sister seemed to be scolding him. She kept looking around as though she sensed something was wrong.

“Do they…” Annabeth said, “I mean, have you told them?”

Grover shook his head. “You know how it is. That could put them in more danger. Once they realize who they are, their scent becomes stronger.”

“So, Doc, why don’t you go speak to them?” Percy suggested, “You’ve got the psychic paper. Dr. Thorn won’t stop you, right?”

The Doctor considered this for a moment, “No.”

“What?”

The Doctor indicated with his eyes to his far left peripheral, where Dr. Thorn was standing. He was near the siblings, his blue eye glowing slightly. 

“If he’s a monster, it’s unlikely he was fooled by the psychic paper. He’s looking for confirmation for what he already suspects. If any of us go up and talk to the siblings, that’ll be all he needs.”

“So we just have to wait for a chance to get them.” Thalia reasoned, “We need to pretend we’re not interested in them. Throw him off the scent.”

“How?” Percy asked.

“Easy,” The Doctor said, “Including the siblings, there are five powerful half-bloods here, give or take whatever weird energy I give off. We’ve just got to mingle. Act natural, but keep an eye on them.”

Thalia nodded. “Who’s up for some dancing?”

“Dancing?” Annabeth asked.

“Yep,” The Doctor grinned popping the ‘p’. 

“Ugh,” Thalia suddenly murmured, cocking her head at the music and making a face, “Who chose the Jesse McCartney?”

Grover looked hurt. “I did.”

“Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can’t you play, like, Green Day or something?”

The Doctor sighed, “You humans are never satisfied, are you?”

“Come on, let’s dance.” Thalia rolled her eyes, extending a hand to the Doctor. He took it and she made her way to the floor. “I’m leading.” She said firmly. The Doctor nodded in surrender, and allowed her to grab his hand and put one hand on his hip.

“I must admit,” She said after a number of steps, “You’re not bad.”

“Well, I’ve only had a few hundred years to become so.” 

“How old are you, though?” Thalia asked, “I mean, Annabeth’s told me the basics, you know, that you’re an alien, you’re really old, but like, how old?”

“Bit of a personal question, isn’t it?” The Doctor laughed. “If I’m perfectly honest with myself, I don’t even remember anymore. After a few hundred years, you stop counting.”

“A few  _ hundred?” _

“Well, I say hundred, but I think I may be lying to myself.”

Thalia laughed, “So you’re from space?”

“In a sense. I mean, to me, you lot are the aliens.”

“Why are you British, then?”

The Doctor laughed, “TARDIS translation circuit, works for languages, not so much for accents. English seems to be my default.”

“What’s a TARDIS?”

“She’s my ship.”

“She?”

But the Doctor didn’t respond, he was too busy staring in the direction that just moments ago Bianca and Nico had been standing. They were gone. The door next to the bleachers was wide open, and Dr. Thorn was nowhere to be seen.

“We have to get the others.” Thalia said.

The Doctor nodded mutley, his eyes fixed on a chilling sight: Lying on the gym floor, was a floppy green cap, just like the one Bianca had been wearing, and a number of scattered trading cards. It was then that the Doctor caught sight of Dr. Thorn. He was hurrying out a door at the opposite end of the gym, steering the di Angelo kids by their collars.  
“You get the others.” The Doctor sprinted after Dr. Thorn.

The door led into a dark hallway, and the Doctor could hear the sounds of scuffling up ahead followed by a painful grunt. The Doctor jogged down the corridor, but when he got to the other end, there was no one there. Opening the door, the Doctor found himself back in the main entry hall. Dr. Thorn wasn’t anywhere to be found, but at the opposite side of the room stood the di Angelo kids, frozen in horror. 

“Are you all right?” The Doctor asked, but the children said nothing, staring in fear. The Doctor raised his hands to show there was nothing in them, he walked slowly over to them, making no sudden movements. “I’m the Doctor, I’m here to help.”

Bianca’s eyes widened, her fists clenched. Realization smashed into the Time Lord. She wasn’t afraid of him, she was trying to warn him. As he spun around, something smashed into his shoulder, and the Doctor was thrown into the wall.

A cold laugh echoed through the hall.

“Yes, Doctor, I know who you are.”

The Doctor attempted to free his shoulder. His trenchcoat and shirt were pinned to the wall by a black dagger-like projectile. It had grazed the skin of his shoulder as it passed through his clothes, and in an instant he knew exactly what it was. Poison.

The dark silhouette of Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth, and one eye was brown, the other blue. 

“Thank you for coming out of the gym,” he said. “I hate middle school dances.”

There was the sound of a projectile being thrown, and next to the Doctor, Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from her face.

“All three of you will come with me,” Dr. Thorn said. “Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw.”


	2. The Identity of Dr. Thorn

The Doctor wasn’t quite sure what kind of monster Dr. Thorn was as of yet, but he certainly was fast. He herded the children outside and marched them into the woods, taking a snowy path that was dimly lit by lamplights. The Time Lord’s shoulder was beginning to ache, and the wind blew harshly, attempting to cover up their tracks, but that did not stop the Doctor from dragging his feet, making marks in the snow. 

“There is a clearing up ahead,” Thorn said, “We will summon your ride.”

“What ride?” Bianca demanded. “Where are you taking us?”

“Silence, you insufferable girl!”

“Oi!” The Doctor said. “She makes a fair point, where are we going? Why do you want us? What is –”

“Silence!”

“Oh, see, I’m not so great with the whole cooperation thing.” The Doctor said casually, “And I do like to talk.”

“Halt.” Thorn suddenly said.

The woods had opened up. They had reached a cliff that overlooked the sea, waves were churning through the mist and darkness.

“Oh, going to send us over the cliff, are you?” The Doctor asked.

“No.”

“Oh, finally getting a response, am I? So, what are you, then? You’re not human, we both know that, but –”

“Stop talking!” Dr. Thorn said.

Thorn’s two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat: a small mobile telephone. He pressed the side button and said, “The package – it is ready to deliver.”

There was a garbled reply, and the Doctor cast his gaze around, analyzing his surroundings, searching for an escape route. 

There was a flicker of movement, and from behind Dr. Thorn, another missle whistled so close to the Doctor that it nicked his left ear.

“Oh, I am _thick!”_ The Doctor laughed, “You’re a manticore. Why’ve you not eaten us, then? Not that I’m complaining or anything –”

“Unfortunately,” Dr. Thorn said, “You are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead.”

“And you must work for Luke, then.” The Doctor figured, “What convinced you to work for, well, for anyone?”

“You have no idea what is happening, Doctor.” Dr. Thorn said, his mouth twisting with distaste. “I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you.”

“And who may this General be?”

Dr. Thorn ignored him, instead looking towards the horizon. “Ah, here we are. Your transportation.”

The Doctor turned to see a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Above them, the Doctor heard the chopping of helicopter blades, getting steadily louder and closer.

“Where are you taking us?” Nico spoke for the first time. His voice was quiet and fearful, yet demanding.

“You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls.”

“They’re not dolls! They’re figurines! And you can take your great army and –”

“Now, now,” Dr. Thorn warned. “You will change your mind about joining us, my boy. And if you do not, well…there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monsterous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway.”

“The Great Stirring?” The Doctor inquired, just trying to keep the manticore talking.

“The stirring of monsters.” Dr. Thorn smiled cruelly, “The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all – the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!”

“Okay,” Bianca whispered to the Doctor, “He’s completely nuts.”

But before the Doctor could respond, an invisible force slammed into him and he hit the ground. 

Annabeth’s move was brilliant. Wearing her cap of invisibility, she plowed into the Doctor and the di Angelos, knocking them all to the ground. For a fraction of a moment, Dr. Thorn was taken by surprise, and so his first volley of missiles zipped harmlessly over their heads, giving Thalia, Percy, and Grover a chance to advance from behind – Thalia wearing her magic shield, Aegis.

Thalia sprinted into battle, with her massive spear in one hand and her shield in the other. “For Zeus!” She shouted, jabbing at the manticore’s head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand had changed into an orange paw with enormous claws that sparked against the shield. If not for Aegis, Thalia would’ve been slashed to pieces, but she managed to roll backwards and land smoothly on her feet. 

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at Thalia from his tail. The missiles deflected off Aegis, but the force of their impact knocked Thalia down. 

Grover sprang forth, his reed pipes to his lips and began to play. Glass broke through the snow, and within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn’s legs, entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change, growing larger until he was in his true form. His face was still human, but his body was that of a massive lion, and his leathery spiky tail whipped venomous thorns in all directions.

“A manticore!” Annabeth said, now visible. Her cap had come out when she’d plowed into the Doctor and the siblings.

“Who _are_ you people?” Bianca demanded. “And what is _that?”_

“A manticore?” Nico gasped. “He’s got three thousand attack power and plus five to saving throws!”

The Doctor didn’t have time to worry about any of that, as the manticore clawed Grover’s magical weeds to shreds, then turned towards them with a snarl.

“Get down!” The Doctor slammed the di Angelos flat into the snow. Six or seven thorns scraped the Doctor’s back, sending more venom coursing into his veins. The adrenaline was blocking most of the pain for now, but he knew the moment it died down…

“Yield!” Dr. Thorn roared.

“Never!” Thalia yelled from across the field. She charged, and for a moment, it looked as though she would run him through. But there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind them, and the helicopter appeared from the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-styled gunship with attachments on the sides that looked suspiciously like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter appeared to be manned by mortals, an unusual sight. The searchlights blinded Thalia, and the manticore swatted her away with his tail. Her shield flew off into the snow, her spear flying in the opposite direction. 

“No!” The Doctor grabbed Thalia and rolled her out of the way just as a spike impaled the ground beside them. 

Dr. Thorn laughed. “Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes.”

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter. They had no choice.

It was then that, from the distance, a clear piercing sound called out. The call of the hunting horn blowing in the forest. 

The manticore froze, and for a moment not a single person moved. There was only the swirl of the snow and wind accompanied by the chopping of the helicopter blades.

“No,” Dr. Thorn said. “It cannot be –”

His sentence was cut short when something shot past the Doctor like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn’s shoulder. He staggered backwards, wailin in agony. 

“Curse you!” He cried, unleashing dozens of spikes into the woods from which the arrows had come, but just as quickly, silver arrows shot back in reply, intercepting the thorns in midair and slicing them in two.

The manticore pulled the arrow from his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy, and Percy tried to swipe at him with Riptide, but Dr. Thorn dodged the attack, slamming his tail into Percy’s shield, knocking him aside.

The archers emerged from the woods, about a dozen girls, the youngest being perhaps ten. The oldest looked about fourteen, and they all wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, each armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions. 

“The Hunters.” The Doctor grinned.

“Oh, wonderful.” Thalia muttered.

One of the older archers stepped forth with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery skin, and unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair. “Permission to kill, my lady?”

“This is not fair!” Dr. Thorn wailed, “Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws!”

“Not so,” another girl said. This was one of the younger girls, perhaps twelve or thirteen, with auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and lovely silvery-yellow eyes. “The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast.” She looked at the older girl with the circlet. “Zoë, permission granted.”

The manticore growled. “If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!”

“No!” Annabeth yelled, charging at the monster.

“Get back, half-blood!” The girl with the circlit, presumably Zoë, said. “Get out of the line of fire!”

But Annabeth leapt upon the manticore’s back, driving her knife into his mane. He howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as Annabeth hung on.

“Fire!” Zoë ordered.

“No!” Percy screamed, but the hunters let their arrows fly.

The first arrow caught Dr. Thorn in the neck, the second in his chest. He staggered back, wailing. “This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!”

Before anyone could react, Dr. Thorn, with Annabeth still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

“Annabeth!” The Doctor yelled after her, but she was long gone, and even injured, the manticore was much too fast. The Doctor didn’t have time to get angry with the hunters, as they still had the helicopter to deal with. The sound of gunfire exploded across the land. Most of the Hunters scattered as tiny holes appear in the snow at their feet, but the girl with the auburn hair simply looked up calmly at the helicopter.

“Mortals,” she announced, “are not allowed to witness my hunt.”

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into a flock of ravens, which scattered into the night.

“Did you kill them?” The Doctor demanded.

“No,” She said calmly. “Relocated, I know how you get.” 

“You.” Zoë stopped short when she caught sight of Thalia, her voice full of distaste.

“Zoë Nightshade,” Thalia’s voice trembled with anger. “Perfect timing, as usual.”

Zoë scanned the Percy, Grover, Nico, Bianca, and the Doctor, “Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady.”

“No.” The girl with auburn hair said, “One satyr, yes, but only four half-bloods.”

“My lady?”

The girl with the auburn hair smiled, “Girls, I introduce you to the Doctor. Doctor, I welcome you back into the presence of my hunt.”


	3. The Goddess of the Hunt

“We need to save Annabeth!” Percy shouted.

“I’m sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help.” The girl with auburn hair said calmly.

Percy struggled to his feet but a couple of the girls held him down.

“Percy, please listen,” The Doctor said, “We’ll get her back, I promise.”

“Let me go!” Percy demanded, ignoring the Doctor. “Who do you think you are?”

Zoë moved forth as if to smack him.

“No,” The Doctor said, “He means no disrespect.”

“I too sense this.” The girl with auburn hair agreed, “He is simply distraught, Zoë. He does not understand.”

“Percy,” the Doctor knelt down beside the boy, “Percy, that’s Artemis.”

Percy stared for a moment, “Um… okay.” 

Grover, on the other hand, gasped and hastily knelt in the snow, “Thank you, Lady Artemis! You’re so… you’re so… Wow!”

“Get up, goat boy!” Thalia snapped. “We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!”

“Woah.” Bianca said. “Hold up. Time out.”

All eyes were on her. She pointed a finger at each of them in turn, her brain was almost autably whirring. “Who… who are you people?”

“Right, I’m the Doctor, I’m an alien, this is Percy and Thalia, they’re half-human, half-Greek god, that’s Grover, he’s a satyr, this is Artemis, goddess of the hunt, and these are her Hunters.” The Doctor said, “Any questions?”

“Uh, yeah.” Bianca said. “Yeah, I’ve got a few questions.”

“First, I think it may be better to ask you some.” Artemis said softly, “My dear girl, who are  _ you?  _ Where are your parents?”

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother, who was still staring in awe at Artemis.

“Our parents are dead.” Bianca said. “We’re orphans. There’s a bank trust that pays for our school, but…” She faltered. She knew that no one believed her. “What?” She demanded. “I’m telling the truth.”

“You are a half-blood,” Zoë Nightshade said. Her accent was admittedly difficult to place, maybe ancient greek, but proper ancient greek. Maybe a thousand five hundred to two thousand years ago. “One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian.”

“An Olympian… athlete?”

“No,” Zoë said. “One of the gods.”

“Cool!” Nico said.

“No!” Bianca’s voice quavered. “This is not cool!”

Nico danced around, “Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for –”

“Nico, shut up!” Bianca put her hands to her face. “This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? There are no gods!”

“Well, to be perfectly honest, it’s not all that different.” The Doctor said.

“Really?” Nico was staring, his eyes big and full of excitement.

“Bianca,” Thalia said softly to the girl, “I know it’s hard to believe, but the gods are still around. Trust me. They’re immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well… Our lives are dangerous.”

“Dangerous,” Bianca said, “Like the girl who fell.”

Thalia turned away, and even Artemis, who was usually incredibly stoic, looked pained. 

“Listen,” The Doctor said kindly, “We will find her, but first we want to make sure you and your brother are safe.”

“Oo!” Nico raised his hand. “What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?”

“He was a manticore,” Artemis explained. “Hopefully, he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear.”

“Or they’ll hunt us.” Thalia said.

Bianca shivered. “That explains… Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in D.C.?”

“And that bus driver,” Nico said. “The one with the ram’s horns. I  _ told  _ you that was real.”

“That’s why Grover has been watching you,” Percy said. “To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods.”

“And he said you’re a satyr?” Bianca raised an eyebrow at Grover.

“Yeah.” Grover kicked his shoes off to display his goat hooves. Bianca looked as though she was going to faint.

“Grover, put your shoes back on,” Thalia said. “You’re freaking her out.”

“Hey, my hooves are clean!”

“Bianca,” Percy said, “We came here to help you. You and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won’t be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp.”

“Camp?” She asked.

“Camp Half-Blood,” Percy said. “It’s where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like.”

“Sweet, let’s go!” Nico said eagerly.

“There  _ is  _ another option,” Zoë said.

“No, there isn’t!” Thalia said.

Thalia and Zoë glared at each other.

“We’ve burdened these children enough,” Artemis announced. “Zoë, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents, treat the wounded, retrieve our guests’ belongings from the school.”

“Yes, my lady.”

“And Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you.”

“What about me?” Nico asked.

Artemis considered the boy, “Perhaps you can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I’m sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while… as a favor to me?”

Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. “You bet! Come on, Nico!”

Nico and Grover walked off towards the woods, talking about hit points and armor ratings and such. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their rucksacks and making camp.

Zoë gave Thalia one last evil look, then left to oversee things. The moment she was gone, Thalia stamped her foot in frustration. “The nerve of those Hunters! They think they’re so… Argh!”

“Thalia,” The Doctor began, but she wouldn’t hear another word.

“No, I don’t want to hear anything you have to say.” She spat. “If you hadn’t gone after Dr. Thorn on your own –”

“He could’ve killed you.” The Doctor growled, “I was making sure you lot stayed alive.”

“Well you got it wrong.” She said menacingly, “Because if we had taken him on together, we could have taken him down, and Annabeth would still be here.”

The Doctor hesitated, feeling the twinge in his hearts. He took a long, slow breath. “I know.”

He began to walk into the forest, finding a quiet spot to sit down. He began to rip the spines from his body. Most had only scraped him, but one had gone right through a good chunk of his shoulder. He grunted as he removed it, feeling the golden energy begin to try desperately to stitch up the wound. 

“Hey, Doctor, you good, man?” It was Percy.

“Fine.”

Percy walked over to the Doctor, sitting silently next to him.

The Doctor clenched his teeth against the pain that radiated from every wound. The venom wouldn’t kill him, but it sure wasn’t pleasant.

“You want – uh, you want a hand?” Percy asked awkwardly.

“No.” The Doctor gave a suppressed cry of pain as he aggressively ripped another thorn from his calf.

“You want, like, some ambrosia or something?”

“No.”

“She didn’t mean it, you know.” Percy said, “Thalia, She doesn’t know…”

“I know.” The Doctor stood up and walked back to the others with only a slight waver in his step.

The Hunters set up their camping sight in only a matter of minutes. Seven large tents, all of silver silk, curved in a crescent around one side of the bonfire. One of the girls blew a silver dog whistle, and a dozen white wolves appeared out from the wood. They began circling the camp like guard dogs. The Hunters walked among them and fed them bits of meat. Falcons watched over them from the trees, their eyes flashing in the firelight. Even the weather seemed to bend to the goddess’s will: The wind died down, and the snow stopped falling. 

Finally, one of the Hunters brought the Doctor’s, Percy’s, Thalia’s, and Annabeth’s rucksacks. Grover and Nico came back from their walk, and Grover insisted that he helped fix up the Doctor’s wounds. The Doctor pushed him away.

“Sometimes it feels like you’re trying to get yourself killed.” Grover mumbled, dropping a bundle of bandages on the Time Lord’s lap.

Nico rummaged through his own rucksack, which the Hunters had graciously packed for him. Nico laid out a number of figurines in the snow – small battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes.

“Big collection.” Percy said.

“I’ve got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except a few really rare ones.”

“You’ve been playing this game for a long time, then?” The Doctor inquired as he began to dress his wounds himself.

“Just this year. Before that…” He knit his eyebrows.

“What?” The Doctor asked.

“I forget. That’s weird.” The boy looked slightly unsettled, but it didn’t last long. “Hey, Percy, can I see that sword you were using?”

“Sure.” Percy pulled out Riptide, explaining how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.

“Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?”

“Um, well, I don’t actually write with it.” Percy said awkwardly.

“So, if you’re a half-blood, who’s your parent – the god I mean?”

“Poseidon.” Percy said.

“Woah. Can you surf really well, then?”

The Doctor smirked as Percy looked helplessly at Grover who was trying hard not to laugh.

“Jeez, Nico, I’ve never really tried.”

“And what about you?” He asked the Doctor eagerly, “Who’s your dad?”

“Oh, er, I’m not a half-blood.”

“He’s an alien.” Grover piped up.

_ “Really?”  _ Nico stared in awe, “Like, from Mars?”

“Not mars, no.” The Doctor said, “Bit further than that.”

“Where? Have you been to Mars? Do you have a spaceship? Why did you come to Earth? Why do you look human? Do you speak alien? How do you know English? Are there gods on your planet? Why are you English?”

“Oh, er,” The Doctor hesitated, “I’m from a place called Gallifrey, I have been to Mars, I do have a spaceship, she’s called the TARDIS, I just came here for fun, I don’t look human, you lot look Time Lord, we came first, I speak Gallifreyan, my TARDIS just has a translation circuit, no, there aren’t gods on my planet, and I’m not quite sure, just a quirk of the TARDIS.”

“Doctor.” Zoë Nightshade said, “Come with me, Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee.”

The Doctor nodded, following the girl as she led him to the last tent. The inside of the tent was warm and comfortable with silk rugs and pillows. In the center, the golden brazier of the fire burned without fuel or smoke. Behind Artemis, who was seated beside Bianca, was her large silver bow on a polished oak display case. It was carved to resemble gazelle horns. The walls were hung with animal pelts. In Artemis’s lap was a deer with glittering fur and silver horns, its head resting constantly on the goddess.

“Join us, dear Doctor.”

The Doctor sat across from her.

“How are you, then?”

“Fine, and you?” Artemis raised an eyebrow. “I will ignore your lie and get on with business.”

“I haven’t seen Tatiana.” The Doctor said bluntly.

“Yes… well, she did go astray.”

“Go astray?” Bianca asked.

“Grow up,” Artemis said, “Become smitten with boys. Become silly, preoccupied, insecure. Forget herself.”

“Good for her.” The Doctor said.

Artemis rolled her eyes. Zoë, who had placed herself to Artemis’s right, glared at the Doctor.

“You must let them go,” The Doctor said, “There comes a time – there always will. Even for you, Zoë. It is a part of being human.”

Zoë let out a short, cold laugh, but dared not anything more.

“And so what happened to him, the boy I mean. Did you turn him into a jackalope too?”

“No.” Artemis sighed regretfully, “I allowed Tatiana to go with him.”

“Good.”

“I must tell you, Doctor, I have heard your name on Olympus.”

“I know.”

“Be careful.”

“How do you know him, then?” Bianca asked. “You said there were no boys.”

Artemis laughed.

“The Doctor is, well, an exception to the rule. He is not god nor man, but ruler of space and time. His form is ever-changing, and this is just the latest. To put it plainly, he is not a man."

"My people weren't so obsessed with gender as you lot are." The Doctor said

“Oh.”

“Though we’ve never actually seen a female version…” Zoë grumbled.

“And you’ve never seen a ginger version either, but that doesn’t mean it can’t happen.” The Doctor said grumpily. “If I could control it, I would.”

“At any rate,” Artemis said, “Bianca has reported some of the… mmm, disturbing things the monster said. But she may not have understood them. I’d like to hear them from a more reliable source.”

The Doctor nodded in understanding. “The manticore, Dr. Thorn, he was working for Luke – Luke’s the one trying to bring back Kronos – and Luke wanted to recruit Bianca and her brother, Nico. He spoke of the Great Stirring, a stirring of the eldest and worst monsters that will all try to take down Olympus.”

Artemis thoughtfully placed her hand on her silver bow. “I feared this was the answer.”

Zoë sat forwards. “The scent, my lady?”

“Yes.”

“What scent?” Bianca asked.

“Things are stirring that I have not hunted in millennia,” Artemis murmured. “Prey so old I have nearly forgotten.”

“Artemis,” The Doctor said suddenly, “What do you know about the General?”

Zoë’s face paled, she turned to Artemis, who raised her hand to silence the girl.

“Did the manticore mention him?”

“Yes. Who is he?”

“Doctor, I have a favor to request of you.”

The Doctor quirked his head to indicate that she continue.

“This task, it is too dangerous even for my hunters. I will leave right away to hunt this monster. I will find it and bring it back to Olympus by winter solstice,” Artemis vowed, “It will be all the proof I need to convince the rest of Olympus of the danger we’re in. You, Doctor, I will need to escort my Hunters back to Camp Half-Blood where they can stay in safety until I return.”

_ “What?”  _ Zoë blurted out. “But Artemis, we hate that place. The last time we stayed there –”

“I believe she is prioritizing safety over comfort.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Yes,” Artemis said, “And I am sure Dionysus will not hold a grudge just because of a little, ah, misunderstanding. It is your right to use Cabin Eight whenever you are in need. Besides, I hear they rebuilt the cabins you burned down.”

Zoë muttered something about foolish campers, but Artemis paid her no mind.

“And now, there is one last decision to make.” Artemis turned to Bianca. “Have you made up your mind, my girl?”

Bianca hesitated. “I’m still thinking about it.”

“Give her time,” The Doctor requested of the goddess, “It is a big decision to make.”

Zoë muttered once more about the Doctor disrupting their hunt, but Artemis continued to ignore her comments.

“It is a long, difficult life,” The Doctor said, “An immortal one. You must completely reject the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood.”

“And my brother?”

“You may see him from time to time,” Artemis assured the girl, “But you will be free of responsibilities. He will have the camp counselors, and I trust the Doctor will take care of him. We will be your new family.”

The Doctor nodded in affirmation.

“A new family,” Bianca repeated slowly, thoughtfully, almost dreamily, “Free of responsibility.” She looked at Zoë, clearly going over the words that the Doctor had said, “Is it worth it?”

Zoë nodded. “It is.”

“What do I have to do?”

“Say this,” Zoë instructed, “‘I pledge myself to the goddess, Artemis,’”

“I – I pledge myself to the goddess, Artemis.”

“‘I turn my back on the company of men, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.’”

“I turn my back on the company of me, accept eternal maidenhood, and join the Hunt.” Bianca repeated, “That’s it?”

Zoë nodded. “If Lady Artemis accepts thy pledge, then it is binding.”

“I accept it.” Artemis said.

The flames in the brazier brightened, casting a silver glow over the room. Bianca took a deep breath and opened her eyes wide. “I feel… stronger.”

“Welcome, sister.” Zoë said.

“Remember your pledge,” Artemis said. “It is now your life.”

“Dawn is approaching, you should break camp.” The Doctor said.

Artemis nodded. “I agree, you must get to Long Island quickly and safely. Doctor, is your TARDIS nearby?”

“Unfortunately not.” The Doctor admitted.

“I shall summon a ride from my brother.”

Zoë didn’t look too keen on the idea, but she nodded obediently and instructed Bianca to follow her.

“Artemis,” The Doctor said once the two girls were gone, “Whilst you are out on your search for the General, whoever he may be –”

“Worry not, Doctor.” Artemis said calmingly, “If the girl can be found, I shall find her.”


	4. Apollo and His Deathtrap of a Chariot

The Hunters broke camp just as quickly as they had set it up. Artemis stared into the east, clearly expecting to see something. Bianca set off to one side, speaking with Nico. The Doctor could tell from his gloomy face that she was explaining her decision to join the hunt.

Thalia, Grover, and Percy gathered around the Doctor, anxious to hear what had happened with his audience with the goddess.

The Doctor explained Artemis’s decision to send her Hunters to Camp Half-Blood, Grover turned pale, “The last time the Hunters visited camp, it didn’t go well.”

“So I’ve heard.” The Doctor admitted.

“How do you know her?” Grover asked eagerly.

“Well, it all started, what, a few thousand years before now? Well, she tried to hunt me, I tried to talk her out of it, one near-regeneration later and I’m having tea with her Hunters.”

“But you’re a _boy.”_

“Come on, Thalia,” The Doctor rolled his eyes, “Not all species are so obsessed with gender.”

“Um, Artemis’s whole thing is only letting girls in –”

“I mean _my_ people.” The Doctor explained. “When I regenerate, well, it could be male, female, human, raxacoricofallapatorian, I mean, I do prefer Time-Lord, obviously.” He gestured to his current body (Despite it not having been his choice).

“And regenerate,” Thalia said, “That is…?”

“It’s when he dies,” Percy answered excitedly, “His whole body changes into another one.”

“Yep.” The Doctor said, popping the ‘p’.

“That sounds awesome.” Thalia said.

“Yeah,” The Doctor said quietly. “I wish it was.”

Finally, the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, “About time. He’s so lazy during the winter.”

There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon, and a blast of warmth.

“Don’t look,” The Doctor advised Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Nico, “Not until he parks.”

The light and warmth intensified until the light died down and before them was a red convertible sports car. It was glowing from the heat of the metal, and the snow melted. 

The driver got out, smiling widely. He looked maybe seventeen or eighteen with sandy hair and an insanely bright smile. He wore jeans and loafers with a sleeveless T-shirt.

“Wow,” Thalia muttered. “Apollo is hot.”

“He’s the sun god.” Percy said.

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Little sister!” Apollo called, “What’s up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!”

Artemis sighed. “I’m fine, Apollo. And I am not your _little_ sister.”

“Hey, I was born first.”

“We’re twins! How many millennia do we have to argue –”

So what’s up?” He interrupted. “Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?”

Artemis gritted her teeth. “I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, _alone._ I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood.”

“Sure, sis!” He then raised his hands, “I feel a haiku coming on.”

All the Hunters groaned. He cleared his throat, and held up one hand dramatically.

_“Green grass breaks through snow._

_Artemis pleads for my help._

_I am so cool.”_

“That last line was only four syllables,” Artemis said as he waited for his applause.

“Was it?” Apollo frowned.

“Yes.” Artemis said, “What about _I am so big-headed?”_

“No, no, that’s six syllables. Hmm.” He began muttering to himself.

Zoë turned to Percy, Thalia, Grover, Bianca, and Nico, “Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. ‘Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I’d had to hear one more poem that started with, _There once was a goddess from Sparta –”_

“I’ve got it!” Apollo announced. _“I am so awesome._ That’s five syllables!” He bowed, looking incredibly pleased with himself. “And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll.”

“These demigods will also need a ride,” Artemis said, pointing to said demigods and the Doctor, “Some of Chiron’s campers.”

“No problem!” Apollo checked the lot out, “Let’s see… Thalia, right? I’ve heard all about you.”  
Thalia blushed. “Hi, Lord Apollo.”

“Zeus’s girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn’t you? Glad you’re back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time –”

“Brother,” Artemis said impatiently, “You should get going.”

“Oh, right.” Then he looked at Percy, his eyes narrowed. “Percy Jackson?”

“Yeah. I mean… Yes, sir.”

Apollo studied the boy, but quickly moved on. “Well! We’d better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way – west. And if you miss it, you miss it.”

“Cool car,” Nico said, looking at it.

“Thanks, kid.” Apollo said.

“But how will we all fit?”

“Oh.” Apollo looked at the car, which sat two people. “Well, yeah, I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose…”

He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. For a moment, the car glowed brightly again, and when the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by a turtle-top shuttle bus.

“Right, everybody in.”

Zoë ordered the Hunters to begin loading, and she picked up her camping pack. “Here, sweetheart.” Apollo offered, “Let me get that.”

Zoë recoiled, her eyes flashing murderously.

“Brother,” Artemis chided. “You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do _not_ call them sweetheart.”

Apollo spread his hands. “Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?”

“Hunting,” Artemis said. “It’s none of your business.”

“I’ll find out. I see all. Know all.”

Artemis snorted. “Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!”

“No, no! I never mess around.”

Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at the children. “I will see you by winter solstice. Zoë, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do.”

Zoë straightened. “Yes, my lady.”

Artemis knelt and touched the ground, searching for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. “So much danger. The beast must be found.”

She sprinted towards the wood and melted into the snow and shadows.

Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. “So,” he said. “Who wants to drive?”

The Hunters piled into the van, all crammed into the back so that they’d be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of the males. Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to sit at the front with the rest, but Nico didn’t seem to mind.

“This is so cool!” He grinned, jumping up and down in the driver’s seat. “Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it’s them and sometimes it’s you and Artemis?”

“Downsizing,” Apollo said. “The Romans started it. They couldn’t afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car.”

“But how does it work?” Nico asked. “I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!”

“It is.” The Doctor said, just as Apollo said.

“That rumor probably just got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “He just has minor control over it. It is still a star, which means it’s still made of hydrogen, helium, and other various metals.”

Apollo made a grumpy sound, “Sure, take all the fun out of it.”

“Can I drive?” Nico suddenly asked. 

“No. Too young.”

“Oo! Oo!” Grover raised his hand.

“Mm, no,” Apollo said. “Too furry.” He looked past Percy and the Doctor and focused on Thalia. 

“Daughter of Zeus!” He said. “Lord of the sky. Perfect.”

“Oh, no.” Thalia shook her head. “No thanks.”

“C’mon,” Apollo said. “How old are you?”

Thalia hesitated. “I don’t know.”

The Doctor whipped out the sonic, scanning the girl. “Fifteen years, three hundred and fifty-eight days, two hours, thirty-six minutes, and eight secnds.”

“What?”

“When you were turned into a tree, you were twelve,” The Doctor explained, “and if you go by years, you’re nineteen, but you kept aging in tree-form, but much more slowly. 

“Which means you’re old enough now to drive with a learner’s permit!”

Thlaia shifted her feet nervously. “Uh –”

“If it helps I’m nine-hundred.” The Doctor said, but Apollo ignored him.

“I know what you’re going to say, you don’t deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot.”

“That’s not what I was going to say.”

“Don’t sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don’t worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You’re Zeus’s daughter. He’s not going to blast you out of the sky.”

Apollo laughed good-naturedly. No one else joined him.

Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take ‘no’ for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield reading: WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.

“Take it away!” Apollo told Thalia. “You’re gonna be a natural.”

Yeah, Thalia was _not_ a natural. So there came a point where the Doctor pushed Apollo aside, and began to assist her. “Start slowly, there’s no traffic, so you don’t have to worry about that.”

Thalia nodded, her knuckles white on the wheel.

“Relax, now, slowly, _slowly,_ begin to move the wheel to the left.” Thalia jerked the wheel, throwing the Doctor into Percy.

“The other left.” Apollo suggested.

“All right,” The Doctor placed his hands on Thalia’s slowly guiding them to the left, making a smooth turn. “See, that wasn’t so hard, you’ve got this.”

Thalia seemed to relax a little.

“A little lower, sweetheart.” Apollo said, “Cape Cod is freezing over.”

“Okay, so we’re going to slowly lean down.” The Doctor once again guided her hands, but she pushed harshly on the excelerator. “Ease up,” The Doctor encouraged calmly, “Relax, we’ll be fine.”

Thalia did so without question, and the Doctor pointed ahead of them, “That’s Long Island there, so what you’re going to do is slowly, _slowly,_ begin to lower your foot onto the break, okay?”

Thalia nodded stiffly, and began to ease up, causing the bus to jump every time she pushed her foot harshly on the brake.

“This is fine, you’re doing fine.” The Doctor said encouragingly, “You have everything under control.”

“I’m under control,” Thalia repeated over and over again. “I’m under control. Everything is under control.”

“Now you’re going to push on the break as we descend.”

Thalia slammed on the break, and the bus pitched forwards, flying into the canoe lake. Steam billowed up, sending several frightened naiads scrambling from the water with half-woven wicker baskets.

The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.

“Well,” Apollo said with a careless smile, “you were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let’s go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?”

Apollo jumped off the bus, followed by a number of shaken Hunters and half-bloods.

Thalia looked up at the Doctor, her face slowly gaining colour again. “I didn’t know you could drive – I mean, it makes sense… You’re just…” She struggled to find the right words. “How do you know how to teach driving so well?”

The Doctor laughed, “Try teaching how to fly a TARDIS. This is simple in comparison.”

“And that’s your spaceship, yeah?”

“You can come take a look at it sometime.”

Thalia nodded eagerly, but then hesitated, her face falling into something of longing. “It’s just, I never had anyone to teach me how to drive, and… it felt nice to have someone around…”

“Your mother, what happened?” The Doctor asked softly.

“My mom, well, she went kinda nuts when Dad left her…” Thalia said regretfully, “I mean, she thought she was the best mortal ‘cause she caught the attention of a god. When I was six, Dad came back as Jupiter, you know, his Roman form,” The Doctor nodded in understanding, “He was more, more fatherly and sturn to me, and he usually spoke Latin. Within the year, my brother, Jason, was born, and so Dad came back more often. But mom got more and more obsessed with eternal beauty, and visiting Olympus, and she – she started to drink –” Thalia’s voice broke. “She ruined her career, she lost Jason to Hera, who took her to Lupa, and so… so I ran away… seven years later and I went to find her and… she was out late driving one night, and…” Thalia blinked hard.

The Doctor nodded, sitting down beside her comfortingly. “My parents are gone too.”

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

“What… What happened?”

“I suppose it’s about time you knew.” The Doctor sighed. “There was a war, a Time War, the greatest war of all of time and space…”

“Were your parents serving?” Thalia asked delicately.

“No,” The Doctor gave a bitter smile, “No, I was.”

“Seriously?”

“On the front lines.” The Doctor said, “My people, the Time Lords, we were fighting this species called the daleks. They were trying to take out the universe, see. And I had to stop the war…” The Doctor took a deep breath, removing all emotion from his voice. “And so I killed them. Daleks and Time Lords alike. My planet, my family, my friends… my parents, and my children…”

“You had kids?”

The Doctor nodded, looking at Thalia warmly, “You look like my seventh…”

“You had _seven_ kids?”

“Thirteen.” The Doctor corrected.

“What was her name?”

The Doctor softly recited a name in Gallifreyan. It was musical and soft, made of sounds that he was well aware humans couldn’t repeat.

Thalia just stared.

“You two coming?” Apollo's call caused Thalia and the Doctor to jump.

“Coming!” The two exited the bus, both shaken up by the revisited memories.


	5. A Return to Camp Half-Blood

Snow had been allowed to fall lightly on the ground of the camp. Frost covered the chariot track and strawberry fields, and the cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights.

“Grover is showing the Hunters to their cabin.” Percy said.

“Take care, Thalia, and, uh, be good!” Apollo smiled at Thalia, “And watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I’ll see you soon.”

“What do you mean?” Percy asked, but instead of answering, Apollo hopped back in the bus and closed the doors, revving the engine. The chariot took off in a blast of heat, and a red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

Nico was looking grumpy. “Who’s Chiron?” He asked. “I don’t have his figurine.”

“Our activities director,” Percy said. “He’s… well, you’ll see.”

“If those Hunter girls don’t like him,” Nico grumbled, “That’s good enough for me. Let’s go.”

The camp was surprisingly empty. The Doctor spotted Charles Beckendorf stoking the forge outside the camp armory, the Stoll brothers, Travis and Connor from the Hermes cabin, and a few kids from the Ares cabin, but other than that everyone seemed to be back at their own homes.

The Big House was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth, and the air smelled of hot chocolate. Dionysus and Chiron were playing a quiet game of cards in the parlor.

Chiron’s brown beard was shaggier for the winter, and his curly hair had grown a little longer. He wore a fuzzy jumper with a hoof-print design on it, and he had a blanket on his lap that hid his wheelchair completely.

He smiled when he saw the group. “Percy! Thalia! Doctor! Ah, and this must be –”

“Nico di Angelo,” Percy said. “He and his sister are half-bloods.”

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. “You succeed, then.”

“Chiron,” The Doctor said slowly, “It’s Annabeth…”

Chiron’s smile melted. “What’s wrong? Is she…?”

“Oh, dear,” Dionysus said in a bored voice. “Not another one lost.”

“Not lost,” The Doctor said quickly, “Not yet, she… She was taken, presumably to Luke. But she is smart, Chiron, you know she’ll be okay, not to mention Artemis is looking for her as well –”

Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like mad. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked suspiciously like a slap mark. “The Hunters are all moved in!”

Chiron frowned. “The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about.” He glanced at Nico. “Grover, perhaps you should take our young friend to the den and show him our orientation film.”

“But… Oh, right. Yes, sir.”

“Orientation film?” Nico asked. “Is it G or PG? ‘Cause Bianca is kinda strict –”

“It’s PG-13.” Grover said.

“Cool!” Nico happily followed him out of the room.

“Now,” Chiron said to Thalia, Percy, and the Doctor, “Perhaps you two should sit down and tell us the whole story.”

Once they had finished, Chiron turned to Dionysus. “We should launch a search for Annabeth immediately.”

“I’ll go,” All three campers said simultaneously, but Dionysus held up his hand.

“From what you have told me,” Dionysus said, “we have broken even on this escapade. We have, ah, regrettably lost Annie Bell –”

“Annabeth.” Percy and the Doctor snapped. 

“Yes, yes,” he said. “And you procured a small annoying boy to replace her. So I see no point in risking further half-bloods on a ridiculous rescue. The possibility is very great that this Annie girl is dead.”

“Annabeth may be alive,” Chiron said, but he was having trouble sounding upbeat. “She’s very bright. If… if our enemies have her, she will try to play for time. She may even pretend to cooperate.”

“That’s right,” Thalia said. “Luke would want her alive.”

‘In which case,” said Dionysus, “I’m afraid she will have to be smart enough to escape on her own.”

Percy stood up from the table, his face full of anger.

“Percy,” Chiron said warningly, but Percy ignored him.

“You’re glad to lose another camper,” Percy said, “You’d like it if we all disappeared!”

Dionysus stifled a yawn. “You have a point?”

“Yeah,” Percy growled. “Just because you were sent here as a punishment doesn’t mean you have to be a lazy jerk! This is your civilization, too. Maybe you could try helping out a little!”  
For a moment, there was no sound but the crackle of the fire. Dionysus opened his mouth as if to say something – probably a curse that would bast the boy to smithereens – when Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover.

“SO COOL!” He yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. “You’re… you’re a centaur!”

Chiron managed a nervous smile. “Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters.”

“And, whoah!” He looked at Dionysus. “You’re the wine dude? No way!”

Dionysus turned his eyes away from Percy and gave Nico a look of loathing. “The wine dude?”

“Dionysus, right? Oh, wow! I’ve got your figurine.”

“My figurine.”

“In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you’ve only got like, fife hundred attack points and everybody thinks you’re the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!”

“Ah.” Dionysus seemed truly perplexed. “Well, that’s… gratifying.”

“Percy,” Chiron said quickly, “You, the Doctor, and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we’ll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening.”

“Capture the flag?” Percy asked. “But we don’t have enough –”

“It is a tradition,” Chiron said. “A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit.”

“Yeah,” Thalia muttered. “I bet it’s real friendly.”

Chiron jerked his head towards Dionysus, who was still frowning as Nico spoke about how many defense points all the gods had in his game. “Run along now,” Chiron said.

“Right, come on, Percy.” The Doctor said, dragging him from the Big House before Dionysus could remember he wanted to kill him.

“You should be captain.” Thalia said to the Doctor as they made their way to the cabins. 

“No.” The Doctor said.

“Come on,” Thalia said, “You said you were a soldier on the front lines, a general, right? So you’re our best chance –”

“You were a general?” Percy was staring at the Doctor.

“Oh…” Thalia said nervously, “I assumed he knew…”

“He knew most of it.” The Doctor admitted. “Yes, I was a general. No, I don’t want to do that again.”

“You can be captain, then.” Percy said awkwardly to Thalia.

“No, no,” She said. “You’ve been at camp longer. You do it.”

“We can, uh… co-captain or something.”

She nodded uncomfortably. 

The three of them went around, telling everyone about the capture the flag game. The Doctor woke up an Ares kid from his midday nap, and he yelled at the Doctor to go away. When he asked where Clarisse went, he said, “Went on a quest for Chiron. Top secret!”

“Is she okay?”

“Haven’t heard from her in a month.” He said, “She’s missing in action. Like your butt’s gonna be if you don’t get outta here!”

The Doctor decided to let him go back to sleep.

Percy looked pretty miserable at dinner that night, but wouldn’t tell the Doctor why. Thalia was sitting alone at the Zeus table, and the Hephaestus, Ares, and Hermes cabins had only a few people each. Nico sat with the Stoll brothers, who were trying to convince him that poker was a much better game than Mythomagic.

The only table that seemed to be having a good time was the Artemis table. The Hunters drank, ate, and laughed like one big, happy family. Zoë sat at the head, but didn’t laugh nearly as much as the others, but the Doctor knew fully-well, that was just a symptom of a life as long as hers had been. It was the same reason that many of the gods were so cold. 

Once the meal had ended, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was somewhat half-hearted. He then announced the ‘good will’ capture the flag game for tomorrow night, which got a much better reception.

Afterwards, all the campers trailed back to their cabins for an early winter light’s out. Only an hour into Percy’s sleep, he began to mumble, tossing and turning. The Doctor placed his fingers onto Percy’s temples and was transported into his dream.

Annabeth was on a dark hillside, shrouded in fog. There was no sky above, only a close, heavy darkness that engulfed them. 

Annabeth struggled up the hill. Old broken Greek columns of black marble were scattered around, as though something had blasted a massive building to ruins.

“Thorn!” Annabeth cried. “Where are you? Why did you bring me here?” She scrambled over a section of broken wall and came to the crest of the hill. 

She gasped.

There was Luke. And he was in pain.

He was crumpled on the rocky ground, attempting to stand. The blackness seemed to be thicker around him, the fog swirling hungrily. His clothes were in tatters and his face was scratched. He was drenched with sweat.

“Annabeth!” He called. “Help me! Please!”

Annabeth ran forth, reaching out to him, tears in her eyes. She wanted to touch Luke’s face, but at the last second, she hesitated.

“What happened?” She asked.

“They left me here,” Luke groaned. “Please. It’s killing me.”

He seemed to be struggling against an invisible curse, as though the fog was squeezing him to death.

“Why should I trust you?” Annabeth asked, her voice full of hurt.

“You shouldn’t,” Luke said. “I’ve been terrible to you. But if you don’t help me, I’ll die.”

The darkness above Luke began to crumble, massive chunks of black rock beginning to fall. Annabeth rushed in just as a crack appeared and the whole ceiling dropped. She held it somehow – tons of rock. She kept it from collapsing on her and Luke just with her own strength. 

Luke rolled free, gasping. “Thanks,” he managed.

“Help me hold it,” Annabeth groaned.

Luke caught his breath. His face was covered in grime and sweat. He rose unsteadily.

“I knew I could count on you.” He began to walk away as the trembling blackness threatened to crush Annabeth.

“HELP ME!” She pleaded.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Luke said. “Your help is on the way. It’s all part of the plan. In the meantime, try not to die.”

The ceiling of darkness began to crumble again, pushing Annabeth against the ground.

Percy sat bolt upright, slamming into the Doctor, who hit the ground.

“Annabeth,” He breathed. “She’s in danger.”


	6. The Oracle's Prophecy

The next morning after breakfast, Percy and the Doctor sat in the meadow, watching the satyrs chase the wood nymphs through the snow. The nymphs had promised to kiss the satyrs if they got caught, but they hardly ever did. Often, the nymph would let the satyr get close, then turn into a snow-covered tree and the poor satyr would slam into it headfirst and get a pile of snow dumped on him.

The Doctor and Percy told Grover about Percy’s dream. The satyr began twirling his finger in his shaggy leg fur.

“A cave ceiling collapsed on her?” He asked.

“Yeah. What the heck does that mean?”

Grover shook his head. “I don’t know. But after what Zoë dreamed –”

“Woah. What do you mean?” Percy asked. “Zoë had a dream like that?”

“I…I don’t know, exactly. About three in the morning she came to the Big House and demanded to talk to Chiron. She looked really panicked.”

“And how do you know this?” The Doctor inquired.

Grover blused. “I was sort of camped outside the Artemis cabin.”

“What for?” Percy asked.

“Just to be, you know, near them.”

The Doctor laughed, as Percy said, 

“You’re a stalker with hooves.”

“I am not! Anyway, I followed her to the Big House and hid in a bush and watched the whole thing. She got real upset when Argus wouldn’t let her in. It was kind of a dangerous scene.”

“And what did she say?”

Grover grimaced. “Well, she starts talking really old-fashioned when she gets upset, so it was kind of hard to understand. But something about Artemis being in trouble and needing the Hunters. And then she called Argus a boil-brained lout… I think that’s a bad thing. And he called her –”

“Woah, wait.” Percy said, “How could Artemis be in trouble?”

“I… well, finally Chiron came out in his pajamas and his horse tail in curlers and –”

“He wears curlers in his tail?”

Grover covered his mouth.

“Sorry,” Percy said, “Go on.”

“Well, Zoë said she needed permission to leave camp immediately. Chiron refused. He reminded Zoë that the Hunters were supposed to stay here until they received orders from Artemis. And she said…” Grover gulped. “She said ‘How are we to get orders from Artemis if Artemis is lost?’”

“What do you mean, lost?” Percy asked. “Like, she needs directions.”

“No,” The Doctor said, “Zoë means gone like taken.”

“Like, kidnapped?” Percy asked, “How would you kidnap an immortal goddess? Is that even possible?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, it happened to Persephone.” Grover said.

“But she was like, the goddess of  _ flowers.” _

Grover looked offended. “Springtime.”

“I’m going to go talk to Zoë.” The Doctor said, “I think your two dreams may be connected.”

“But there’s one more thing,” Grover said, “The Hunters, I think they were scouting us.” He pulled a three-fold travel brochure from his pocket, “I found this in Annabeth’s backpack.” The front of the brochure read: A WISE CHOICE FOR YOUR FUTURE! And inside were pictures of young maidens hunting, shooting bows, all with captions such as: HEALTH BENEFITS: IMMORTALITY AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR YOU! And: A BOY-FREE TOMORROW.

Percy stared at the satyr. “I don’t understand.”

“Percy,” The Doctor said calmly, “I think Annabeth was considering joining the hunt.”

That evening after dinner, Percy was more determined than ever to beat the Hunters at capture the flag. It would be a small game: thirteen Hunters against the same number of campers. Zoë was looking pretty upset and kept glancing resentfully at Chiron, as though she couldn’t believe he was making her do this. The other Hunters didn’t look too happy, they all just huddled together, whispering nervously to each other as they strapped on their armor. Some looked as though they’d been crying. It was evident that Zoë’d told them of her nightmare.

On the campers’ team, there was Beckendorf, two other Hepaestus campers, a couple of Ares kids, the Stoll brothers, Nico, and a few Aphrodite kids, which was unusual. They tended to prefer sitting at the sidelines.

“I’ll show them ‘love is worthless’,” Silena Beauregard grumbled as she strapped on her armor. “I’ll pulverize them!”

That left the Doctor, Thalia, and Percy. 

“Doctor, how about you and I take offence, and you, Percy, can take defense.”

“Oh.” Percy hesitated. “Don’t you think with your shield and all, you’d be better defense?”

Thalia already had Aegis on her arm, and even her own teammates were giving her a wide berth, trying not to cower before the bronze head of Medusa.

“Well, I was thinking it would make better offense,” Thalia said. “Besides, you’ve had more practice at defense.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Percy said awkwardly.

“Cool.” Thalia turned to help the Doctor assist the Aphrodite kids, who were having trouble, suit up into their armor. Nico ran up to the Doctor and Percy.

“This is so awesome!” His blue-feathered bronze helmet was falling into his eyes, and his breastplate was about six sizes too big. He lifted his sword with effort. “Do we get to kill the other team?”

“No.” The Doctor said quickly, “No, we do not.”

“But the Hunters are immortal, right?”

“That’s only if they don’t fall in battle.” The Doctor explained, “And even if they were –”

“It would be awesome if we just, like, resurrected as soon as we were killed, so we could keep fighting, and –”

“Nico, I know you’re excited,” The Doctor said, “But these swords are real, and they are deadly. You need to be careful.” Nico looked disappointed.

“Hey, it’s cool. Just follow the team. Stay out of Zoë’s way. We’ll have a blast.” Percy stepped in.

Chiron’s hoof thundered on the pavilion floor.

“Heroes!” He called. “You know the rules! The creek is the boundary line. Blue team – Camp Half-Blood – shall take the west woods. Hunters of Artemis – red team – shall take the east woods. I will serve as referee and battlefield medic. No intentional maiming, please! All magic items are allowed. To your positions!”

“Sweet,” Nico whispered. “What kind of magic items? Do I get one?”

But before anyone could break it to him that he didn’t, Thalia called, “Blue team! Follow me!”

The blue team set their flag at the top of Zeus’s Fist, a cluster of boulders in the middle of the west wood that, if you looked at it the right way, looked like a massive fist sticking out of the ground.

Percy set Nico on guard duty, with Beckendorf and the Stoll brothers, and the Doctor suggested he stay back as well to keep Nico (and the flag) safe, and both Percy and Thalia could go on offence. They reluctantly agreed.

“We’ll send out a decoy to the left,” Thalia instructed the team, “Silena, you lead that.”

“Got it!”

“Take Laurel and Jason. They’re good runners. Make a wide arc around the Hunters, attract as many as you can. I’ll take the main raiding party around to the right and catch them by surprise.”

Everyone, including the Doctor nodded. It was not a bad plan for a girl of Thalia’s age. And she was confident, which could make the most horrible of plans succeed.

“Anything to add, Percy?” She asked.

“Um, yeah. Keep sharp on defense. We’ve got four guards, two scouts. That’s not much for a big forest. The Doctor’ll be roving. Yell if you need help.”

“And don’t leave your post!” Thalia said.

“Unless you see a golden opportunity,” Percy added.

Thalia scowled. “Just don’t leave your post.”

“Right, unless –”

“Percy!” Thalia said, glaring at the boy, then turned back to the group. “Now, is everybody clear?”

Everyone nodded, and broke into their smaller groups.

The horn sounded

The game began.

Selina’s group disappeared into the woods on the left. Thalia’s group gave it a few seconds, then darted off towards the right, the Percy’s made his way directly forth.

The Doctor climbed Zeus’s Fist, giving him a good view over the forest. He caught a glimpse of Silena and her two scouts. They ran through a clearing, followed by five of the Hunters, leading them deeper into the woods. There was a clump of Hunters to the right, their bows at the ready. They spotted Thalia. 

“What’s happening?” Nico demanded, attempting to climb next to the Doctor. The Doctor grinned. 

“You want to go get the flag?”

Nico’s eyes widened, “Yes!”

“Right, we’ve got to be quiet, and you’ve got to listen to everything I say, all right?”

Nico nodded his head vigorously, and they made their way out, signaling to Beckenedorf and the Stoll brothers of his intentions, who nodded.

“Right, we’re going to run.” The Doctor began to sprint, Nico surprisingly close to his heels. They leapt over the creek into the red team’s territory. There was a silver flag ahead, one guard, Bianca, who wasn’t even looking in their direction. There was fighting to the Doctor’s left and right. 

“I’ll distract your sister,” The Doctor said, “You get the flag.” 

“Okay!” Nico grinned.

The Doctor began to sprint, running past Bianca, who gave chase. He spun himself around the tree, and looked at Nico who was running, when suddenly, there was a  _ ZIP! _

A silvery cord raced across his ankles and fastened to the tree next to him. 

Nico went down hard, the Doctor raced to his side, pulling him up, just as an arrow exploded at their feet, and a cloud of yellow smoke billowed around them. Nico began coughing and gagging, it was the horrible smell of sulfur.

The Doctor was fortunate enough to not be bothered by it, but pulled Nico from the smoke, and he was back on his feet. 

Arrows whizzed past the Doctor’s ear as he shielded Nico with his body. A Hunter came out from the forest, slashing at him with her knife, but he tripped her, and sent her to the ground.

There was yelling from the blue side of the creek, and the Doctor saw Zoë Nightshade, racing towards them. The Doctor released the flag into Nico’s hands, and began to sprint directly at Zoë, who looked at him with determination and the spark of curiosity, as he was not one to initiate violence. 

At the very last moment, just before Zoë (who was much bigger and stronger than the Doctor) could push him from her path, the Doctor dropped to the ground, sliding into her legs, sending her crashing down just as Nico ran across with the flag waving. 

Zoë began cursing loudly in a number of different languages. 

The few campers who were around cheered, and Chiron appeared from the woods. He had the Stoll brothers on his back, and it looked as though both of them had taken some nasty knocks to the head. Connor Stoll had two arrows sticking from his helmet, directly up.

“The campers win!” Chiron announced joyously. “For the first time in fifty six games!”

“Doctor!” Nico came sprinting up to the Time Lord, “I did it! I got the flag across! We won!” 

“You did a brilliant job.”

Nico grinned with pride.

“It’s not fair,” A hunter named Phoebe grumbled, “He’s not even half-blood.”

“What?” Chiron looked at the Doctor, but before anything else could be said, there was a gasp. 

Someone was approaching. They were shrouded in murky green mist, but as it got closer, it became more evident of who they were.

“This is impossible,” Chiron said, his voice shaking slightly, “It… she has never left the attic. Never.”

And yet, the withered mummy that held the Oracle shuffled forwards until she stood in the center of the group. Mist curled around the campers’ and Hunters’ feet, turning the snow a deep shade of sickly green. 

No one dared move. Her voice hissed inside the Doctor’s head, he could feel the mental breach, she was stronger than he would have ever expected, and from the look of the other children, it was evident that they too could hear her.

_ “I am the spirit of Delphi,”  _ the voice said.  _ “Speaker of the prophecies of Phoebus Apollo, slayer of the mighty Python.” _

The Oracle regarded Percy, then turned unmistakably towards Zoë Nightshade.  _ Approach, Seeker, and ask. _

Zoë swallowed. “What must I do to help my goddess?”

The Oracle’s mouth opened, and green mist poured out. There was the vague image of a mountain, and a girl stood at its barren peak. It was Artemis, but she was wrapped in chains, fettered to the rocks. She was kneeling, her hands raised as though she was fending off an attacker, and she looked to be in pain. The Oracle spoke:

_ Six shall go west to the goddess in chains, _

_ One shall be lost in the land without rain. _

_ The bane of Olympus shows the trail, _

_ Campers, Hunters, and Lord, combined to prevail, _

_ The Titan’s curse must one withstand, _

_ And one shall perish by a parent’s hand. _

  
Then, the mist swirled and retreated like a great green serpent into the mummy’s mouth. THe Oracle sat down on a rock and became still as she’d been in the attic, as if she might sit by this creek for a hundred years.


	7. The Camp Meeting

Percy and Grover were elected to carry the Oracle back to the attic, whilst Chiron dragged the Doctor into the Big House to talk. 

“So you’re not a half-blood.”

“Well, not specifically half-blood no.” The Doctor admitted, “But fortunately for you, I am something else.”

“Why is this fortunate for me?” Chiron demanded.

“Because I am a Time Lord,” The Doctor said, “And unless I’m mistaken, a Lord is just what you’re looking for right now.”

Dionysus called a council of cabin leaders to discuss the prophecy. Seeing as the Doctor was the only “Lord” around, he was also there. 

The council was held around a Ping-Pong table in the recreation room. Dionysus waved his hand and supplied snacks, but nobody was eating.

Dionysus and Chiron (in wheelchair form) sat at one end of the table. Zoë and Bianca (who had become Zoë’s protege) took the other end. Thalia, Grover, Percy, and the Doctor sat along the right, and the other head councilors – Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll brothers – sat on the left. 

The Ares kids were supposed to send a representative as well, but all of them had gotten injured during capture the flag, courtesy of the Hunters. 

Zoë started the meeting off on a positive note. “This is pointless.”

“Cheez Whiz!” Grover suddenly gasped, grabbing it and beginning to scoop up crackers and Ping-Pong balls, spraying them with the topping.

“There is no time for talk,” Zoë continued. “Our goddess needs us. The Hunters must leave immediately.”

“And go where?” Chiron asked.

“West!” Bianca said. “You heard the prophecy. _‘Six shall go west to the goddess in chains.’_ We can get six Hunters and go.”

“Yes,” Zoë agreed. “Artemis is being held hostage! We must find her and free her.”

“You’re missing something, as usual,” Thalia said. _“‘Campers, Hunters, and Lord combined to prevail.’_ We’re supposed to do this together.”

“No!” Zoë said. “The Hunters do not need thy help.”

 _“Your,”_ Thalia grumbled. “Nobody has said _thy_ in, like, three hundred years, Zoë. Get with the times.”

Zoë hesitated, as though she was attempting to form the word correctly. _“Yerrr._ We do not need _yerrr_ help.”

Thalia rolled her eyes. “Forget it.”

“I fear the prophecy says you _do_ need our help,” Chiron said. “And the Doctor’s as well.” He eyed the Doctor cautiously, as though he was afraid he would explode. “Campers, Hunters, and –” He sighed, “The Doctor, must cooperate.”

“Or do they?” Dionysus mused, swirling his Diet Coke under his nose as though it had a fine bouquet. _“One shall be lost. One shall perish._ That sounds rather nasty, doesn’t it? What if you fail _because_ you try to cooperate?”

“Mr. D,” Chiron sighed, “with all due respect, whose side are you on?”

Dionysus raised his eyebrows. “Sorry, my dear centaur. Just trying to be helpful.”

“You’re supposed to help each other.” The Doctor said, “Zoë, are you really willing to fight against a prophecy?”

Zoë grimaced.

“We must not delay,” Chiron warned. “Today is Sunday. This very Friday, December twenty-first, is the winter solstice.”

“Oh, joy,” Dionysus muttered. “Another dull annual meeting.”

“Artemis must present at the solstice,” Zoë said. “She has been one of the most vocal on the council arguing for action against Kronos’s minions. If she is absent, the gods will decide nothing. We will lose another year of war preparations.”

“Are you suggesting that the gods have trouble acting together, young lady?” Dionysus asked.

“Yes, Lord Dionysus.”

Dionysus nodded. “Just checking. You’re right, of course. Carry on.”

“I must agree with Zoë,” said Chiron. “Artemis’s presence at the winter council is critical. We have only a week to find her. And possibly even more important: to locate the monster she was hunting. Now, we must decide who goes on this quest.”

“Three, two and one,” Percy said. Everyone looked at him. “Three Hunters, two from Camp Half-Blood, and then the Lord, whoever that is.”

“You Clodpate,” Zoë rolled her eyes, “It is most clearly the Doctor.”

“What?”

“He’s a Time _Lord.”_ One of the Hunters, Andromeda, said. Not all of the Hunters particularly liked the Doctor due to his male form, but they certainly liked him more than the kids of Camp Half-Blood.

“Well,” Thalia said, “That sounds more than fair, three Hunters, two campers, and the Doctor.”

Zoë grunted. “I would prefer to take _all_ the Hunters. We will need strength of numbers.”

“You’ll be retracing the goddess’s path,” Chiron reminded her. “Moving quickly. No doubt Artemis tracked the scent of this rare monster, whatever it is, as she moved west. You will have to do the same. The prophecy was clear: _The bane of Olympus shows the trail._ What would your mistress say? ‘Too many Hunters spoil the scent.’ A small group is best.”

Zoë picked up a Ping-Pong paddle and studied it as though she was deciding who she wanted to hit first. “This monster – the bane of Olympus. I have hunted at Lady Artemis’s side for many years, yet I have no idea what this beast might be.”

Everyone turned to Dionysus. “Well, don’t look at me.” The god said, rolling his eyes, “I’m a _young_ god, remember? I don’t keep track of all those ancient monsters and dusty titans. They make for terrible party conversation.”

“Chiron?” The Doctor inquired.

The centaur pursed his lips. “I have several ideas, none of them good. And none of them quite make sense. Typhon, for instance, could fit this description. He was truly a bane of Olympus. Or the sea monster, Keto. But if either of these were stirring, we would know it. They are ocean monsters the size of skyscrapers. Poseidon would have already sounded the alarm. I fear this monster may be more elusive. Perhaps even more powerful.”

“That’s some serious danger you’re facing,” Connor Stoll said. “It sounds like at least two of the six are going to die.”

 _“One shall be lost in the land without rain,”_ Beckendorf said. “If I were you, I’d stay out of the desert.”

There was a muttering of agreement. 

“And _the Titan’s curse must one withstand,”_ Silena said. “What could that mean?”

Chiron and Zoë exchanged a nervous look, but whatever it was that they were thinking, they didn’t share it.

 _“One shall perish by a parent’s hand,”_ Grover said in between bites of Cheez Whiz and Ping-Pong balls. “How is that possible? Whose parent would kill them?”

There was a heavy silence around the table.

“There will be deaths,” Chiron decided. “That much we know.”

“Oh, goody!” Dionysus said. He glanced up innocently from the pages of _Wine Connoisseur_ magazine as everyone looked at him. “Ah, pinot noir is making a comeback. Don’t mind me.”

“Percy is right,” Silena Beauregard said. “Two campers should go.”

“Oh, I see,” Zoë said sarcastically. “And I suppose you wish to volunteer?”

Silena blushed. “I’m not going anywhere with Hunters. Don’t look at me!”

“A daughter of Aphrodite does not wish to be looked at,” Zoë scoffed. “What would thy mother say?”

Silena started to get out of her chair, but the Stoll brothers pulled her back. 

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Which three Hunters are going?”

Zoë stood. “I shall go, of course, and I will take Phoebe. She is our best tracker.”

“The big girl who likes to hit people on the head?” Travis Stoll asked cautiously.

Zoë nodded.

“The one who put the arrows in my helmet?” Connor added.

“Yes,” Zoë snapped. “Why?”

“Oh, nothing,” Travis said. “Just that we have a T-shirt for her from the camp store.” He held up a large silver T-shirt that said ARTEMIS THE MOON GODDESS, FALL HUNTING TOUR 2002, with a list of national parks. “It’s a collector’s item. She was admiring it. You want to give it to her?”

The Doctor was well-aware that the Stoll brothers were up to something, but Zoë didn’t know them as well as the Doctor did, and so she just sighed and took the T-shirt. “As I was saying, I will take Phoebe. And I wish Bianca to go.”

Bianca looked stunned. “Me? But… I’m so new. I wouldn’t be any good.”

“You will do fine,” Zoë insisted. “There is no better way to prove thyself.”

Bianca closed her mouth.

“And for campers?” Chiron asked.

“Me!” Grover stood up so fast that he bumped the Ping-Pong table. He brushed cracker crumbs and Ping-Pong ball scraps from his lap. “Anything to help Artemis.”

Zoë wrinkled her nose. “I think not, satyr. You are not even half-blood.”

“But he _is_ a camper,” Thalia said. “And he’s got a satyr’s senses and woodland magic. Can you play a tracker’s song yet, Grover?”

“Absolutely!”

Zoë wavered. “Very well, and the second camper?”

“I’ll go.” Thalia stood and looked around, daring anyone to question her.”

“Woah, wait a sec,” Percy said. “I want to go too.”

Thalia said nothing. Chiron was studying the boy with sad eyes.

“Oh,” Grover said, suddenly aware of the problem. “Woah, yeah, I forgot! Percy has to go. I didn’t mean… I’ll stay. Percy should go in my place.”

“He cannot.” Zoë said. “He is a boy. I won’t have Hunters traveling with a boy.”

“What about Grover?” Percy demanded.

Zoë shook her head. “He does not count. He’s a satyr. He is not technically a boy.”

“Hey!” Grover protested.

“I _have_ to go,” Percy said. “I need to be on this quest.”

“Why?” Zoë asked. “Because of thy friend Annabeth?”

Percy turned pink. “No! I mean, partly. I just feel like I’m supposed to go!”

“No.” Zoë said flatly. “I insist upon this. I will take a satyr if I must, but not a male hero.”

Chiron sighed. “The quest is for Artemis. The Hunters should be allowed to approve their companions.”

“Zoë,” The Doctor tried, but she would have none of it.

“No, Doctor, consider yourself lucky that you thyself has been permitted –”

“Right, because you know _so_ many Lords?” 

“So be it,” Chiron said. “Thalia, Grover, and the Doctor will accompany Zoë, Bianca, and Phoebe. You shall leave at first light. And may the gods” – he glanced at Dionysus – “present company included, we hope – be with you.”

Percy didn’t show up at dinner. The Doctor didn’t see him at all until the late evening.

“Do you think I should go anyway?”

The Doctor hesitated. “Percy, if you want my honest opinion, I would say no.”

“What? Seriously?” Percy stared at the Doctor. Clearly he had been expecting a different answer.

“Percy, prophecies, they’re messy. They’re fatal. By tampering with a prophecy, you could be the cause of a death. I want you to come, honest, but at the expense of the life of another?”

Percy nodded. “Yeah, fine.”

The Doctor dove into Percy’s dreams once more that evening. They were back in the barren cave, the ceiling heavy and low above. Annabeth was kneeling under the weight of a dark mass that looked to be a pile of boulders. She was too tired even to cry out. Her legs trembled. Any second now her strength would betray her and she the ceiling would collapse on her.

“How is our mortal guest?” A male voice boomed. It wasn’t Kronos, that much was evident. This voice was deeper, lower, its force caused the ground to vibrate.

Luke emerged from the shadows, running to Annabeth and kneeling beside her. He looked back at the unseen man. “She’s fading. We must hurry.”

The deep voice chuckled. A meaty hand thrust someone forth into the light. It was Artemis. Her hands and feet were bound in celestial bronze chains. Her silvery dress was torn and tattered, and her face and arms were cut in several places. Ichor oozed from her wounds. 

“You heard the boy,” said the man in the shadows. “Decide!”

Artemis’s eyes flashed with anger. She looked at Annabeth, her expression morphing to concern and outrage. “How dare you torture a maiden like this!”

“She will die soon,” Luke said. “You can save her.”

Annabeth made a weak sound of protest.

“Free my hands.” Artemis finally said.

Luke brought out his sword, and with one strike, he broke the goddess’s handcuffs.

Artemis ran up to Annabeth, taking the burden from her shoulders. Annabeth collapsed on the ground and lay there shivering. Artemis staggered, trying to support the weight of the black rocks.

The man in the shadows chuckled. “You are as predictable as you were easy to beat, Artemis.”

“You surprised me,” the goddess said, straining under her burden. “It will not happen again.”

“Indeed it will not,” the man said. “Now you are out of the way for good! I knew you could not resist helping a young maiden. That is, after all, your specialty, my dear.”

Artemis groaned. “You know nothing of mercy, you swine.”

“On that,” the man said, “we can agree. Luke, you may kill the girl now.”

“No!” Artemis shouted.

Luke hesitated. “She – she may yet be useful, sir. Further bait.”

“Bah! You truly believe that?”

“Yes, General. They will come for her. I’m sure.”

The man considered. “Then the dracaenae can guard her. Assuming she does not die from her injuries, you may keep her alive until winter solstice. After that, if our sacrifice goes as planned, her life will be meaningless. The lives of _all_ mortals will be meaningless.”

Luke gathered up Annabeth’s listless body and carried her away from the goddess.

“You will never find the monster you seek,” Artemis said. “Your plan will fail.”

“How little you know, my young goddess,” the man in the shadows said. “Even now, your darling attendants begin their quest to find you. They shall play directly into my hands.”

“You underestimate my Hunters. And my associate.”

“Then I will be sure to greet your Hunters and be sure to make their quest more… challenging.”

The man’s laughter echoed in the darkness, shaking the ground until it seemed that the entire cavern ceiling would collapse. The Doctor felt rage coursing through his body. He was ready for this quest.


	8. The Quest Begins

The Doctor and Percy were woken by a loud banging. It was dark outside, the spring in the corner gurgled. No other sounds but the hoot of an owl in the woods and the distant surf on the beach. 

_ BANG. BANG. _

There was a pounding on the door. The Doctor stood to answer it, and Percy grabbed Riptide.

The Doctor opened the door to find himself face-to-face with a black pegasus.

“Blackjack.” Percy breathed in relief, “It’s the middle of the night!”

“It’s 5:16 in the morning.” The Doctor corrected.

_ We got another little sea friend who needs your help.  _ Blackjack reported.

“Again?” Percy asked.

_ Yeah. I told the hippocampi I’d come and get one of you. _

“You can go back to bed, Percy.” The Doctor offered, “I got this one.”

“No, it’s fine. I need to get out for a bit.” Percy said, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

“Do you want me to join –”

“No.” Percy said firmly before softening. “I just need some time on my own.”

“Okay.” The Doctor watched him go, hoping he didn’t do anything stupid.

The Doctor ended up deciding to take a walk, despite the curfew. It was only a few minutes into his stoll, that he found Nico. He was standing on the steps of the Artemis cabin. He was spying on the Hunters.

The Doctor approached, and before Nico could make any noise at seeing him, he signaled for the boy to stay quiet. Nico nodded eagerly. 

Zoë and Bianca were arguing.

“It  _ cannot  _ be cured,” Zoë was saying. “Not quickly, at any rate.”

“But how did it happen?” Bianca asked.

“A foolish prank,” Zoë growled. “Those Stoll boys from the Hermes cabin. Centaur blood is like acid. Everyone knows that. They sprayed the inside of that Artemis Hunting Tour T-shirt with it.”

“That’s terrible!”

“She will live,” Zoë said. “But she’ll be bedridden for weeks with horrible hives. There is no way she can go. It’s up to me… and thee.”

“But the prophecy,” Bianca said. “If Phoebe can’t go we will only have five. We’ll have to pick another.”

“There is no time,” Zoë said. “We must leave at first light. That’s immediately. Besides, the prophecy said we would lose one.”

“In the land without rain,” Bianca said, “But that can’t be here.”

“It might be,” Zoë said, although she did not sound all that convinced. “The camp has magic borders. Nothing, not even weather, is allowed in without permission. It  _ could  _ be a land without rain.”

“But –”

“Bianca, hear me.” Zoë’s voice was strained. “I… I can’t explain, but I have a sense that we should  _ not  _ pick someone else. It would be too dangerous. They would meet an end worse than Phoebe’s. I don’t want Chiron choosing a camper as our fifth companion. And… I don’t want to risk another Hunter.”

Bianca was silent. “You should tell the Doctor your dream.”

“No. It would not help.”

“But if your suspicions are correct, about the General –”

“I have thy word not to talk about that,” Zoë said. “We will find out soon enough. Now come. Dawn is breaking.”

The Doctor pulled Nico out of the way as the girls sprinted down the steps and out into the pavilion towards the Big House.

Nico hesitated. “I want to go.”

“No.” Percy suddenly removed Annabeth’s invisibility cap to reveal himself.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow.

“Where did you come from?” Nico asked.

“I’ve been here the whole time. Invisible.” Percy explained.

Nico mouthed the word  _ invisible.  _ “Wow. Cool.”

“How did you know Zoë and your sister were here?”

Nico turned red. “I heard them walk by the Hermes cabin. I don’t… I don’t sleep too well at camp. So I heard footsteps, and them whispering. And so I kind of followed.”

“You can’t follow us on the quest.” The Doctor said softly. 

“Because I’m too young?”

“No.” The Doctor laughed, “I’ve known enough people of your age to know to never underestimate a child. But because they won’t let you. Because it is dangerous. Because you are inexperienced, and I won’t let you risk yourself like that. Some of the heroes on this quest will die, and I don’t want it to be you.”

His shoulders sagged, he shifted from foot to foot. “Okay. But, but you’ll watch over her for me, right?” Nico pleaded, “Promise to keep my sister safe?”

“I promise that I will do everything in my power to do so.” The Doctor nodded at the boy.

“Thank you.” He smiled. “Good luck!”

“Hey Nico,” The Doctor said, just as the boy turned to leave, “Tell Chiron that Percy’s already left for home.”

“Why?” Nico quirked his head.

The Doctor grinned. “Because he’s coming too.”

A smile grew on Percy’s face as he put back on the hat and called Blackjack back to his side.

The Doctor, Zoë, Bianca, Grover, and Thalia took the bus, Zoë insisting on driving. The Doctor kept an eye on the clouds, where he occasionally saw a hint of Blackjack, following from above. 

“So, what have you lot been doing since I’ve seen you?” The Doctor asked the Hunters. 

“Hunting.” Zoë said, her voice irritated. 

“Yeah, I got that much, but I mean, any unusual monsters?”

“You needn't fill the emptiness with speech.” 

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “You’re no fun.”

“I’m not meant to be fun. This is a grave time and thou shalt treat it accordingly.”

“We will find her.” The Doctor promised with sincerity. 

“I know.” Zoë snapped.

There was a long silence.

“This General –”

“We shalt not speak of him.” Zoë cut the Doctor off.

“Zoë, going in with as much knowledge as we can –”

“Just leave it, Doctor.” Bianca said. “Please.”

They didn’t rest until Maryland when Zoë finally pulled into a rest stop. 

“Come on, we must be as fast as we can to return to the road.” Zoë said.

They made their way in quickly, the Doctor picking up a hot chocolate, and placing it upon a bin outside. After a moment, it disappeared, and the Doctor could hear Percy whispering his thanks in the Time Lord’s ear.

“Grover, are you sure?” Thalia was saying to Grover as the other four joined the Doctor outside. 

“Well… pretty sure. Ninety-nine percent. Okay, eighty-five percent.”

“D.C. is about sixty miles from here,” Bianca said. “Nico and I…” she frowned. “We used to live there. That’s… that’s strange. I’d forgotten.”

“I dislike this,” Zoë said. “We should go straight wst. The prophecy said west.”

“Oh, like your tracking skills are better?” Thalia growled.

Zoë stepped towards her. “You challenge my skills, you scullion? You know  _ nothing  _ of being a Hunter!”

“Oh,  _ scullion?  _ You’re calling  _ me  _ a scullion? What the heck is a scullion?”

The Doctor stepped between the two.

“I think D.C. Is our best bet.” Bianca suddenly said.

Zoë hesitated, not looking completely convinced, but nodded reluctantly. “Very well. Let us keep moving.”

“You’re going to get us arrested, driving,” Thalia grumbled. “I look closer to sixteen than you do.”

“Perhaps,” Zoë snapped. “But I have been driving since automobiles were invented.”

“Plus, I’ve got the psychic paper.” The Doctor assured Thalia. “We’ll be fine.”

They sped down the highway, only beginning to slow when they crossed the Potomac River into central Washington. They got out, making their way towards one of the buildings lining the Mall that Grover insisted was the right one.

They stepped before the Smithsonian, making their way in. It was not ten minutes later that the Doctor was knocked to the ground by an invisible force. 

Grover yelped in surprise, Zoë, Bianca, and Thalia had their weapons out and pointed at the intruder’s chest. 

“Hold your fire,” The Doctor said calmly, “It’s just Percy.” Percy removed Annabeth’s hat.

“How dare you show thy face here?” Zoë growled, but didn’t lower her bow.

“Look, the prophecy said six.” The Doctor said, “I convinced him to come. It’s not his fault.”

“I should kill you on the spot.” Zoë turned her bow on the Doctor.

“No, wait,” Percy said, attempting to catch his breath, “It’s Luke, he’s here.”

The anger in Thalia’s eyes immediately melted. She put her hand on her silver bracelet. “Where?”

“You guys have been followed for a while,” Percy said quickly, “Dr. Thorn, I followed him to this place with skeletons and stuff, and Luke was there, and so was the General. They want to isolate you, Thalia, and then they planted these teeth, and they had this thing they called the scent, it looked like something you Hunters wear, like, a silvery fabric, and so I grabbed it, and they took some of my sleeve, but I got out, and so they’re going to send a distraction.” He took a breath. “We need to leave. Now.”

The Doctor, Thalia, Grover, Zoë, Bianca, and much to Zoë’s frustration, Percy. 

Suddenly, everyone froze. There was a growl so loud it was akin to many rocket engines.

Below them, a few adults screamed. A small child’s voice screeched with delight: “Kitty!”

An enormous form bounded up the ramp.

“The Nemean Lion.” The Doctor whispered, “Don’t move.”

The lion roared so loud that the Doctor could feel her hot breath on his face. 

“Seperate on my mark,” Zoë said. “Try to keep it distracted.”

“Until when?” Grover asked.

“Until I think of a way to kill it. Go!”

The Doctor dove towards the right, Percy rolling left. Arrows whistled past the Doctor, and he could hear Grover playing his reed pipes.

“Hold your fire!” The Doctor suddenly shouted.

“What?” Zoë demanded.

“I’ve got a plan!”

The Doctor got close to the lion, “Hey.” His voice was soft, soothing, the lion hesitated. “Hey, I know you’re scared. I know you have your orders, but I’m here to help.”

“What are you doing?” Zoë demanded, but the Doctor ignored her. The lion was listening.

“I’m the Doctor, I’m here to help.” He raised his hands to show he had no weapon.

The lion roared, and slammed her body into the Doctor, crushing him beneath the weight. Claws dug into his chest.

He could hear the arrows flying again, the clang against the fur. 

“I’m sorry.” The Doctor breathed as the lion bared down upon him, “Let me help you.”

_ “I DON’T WANT YOUR HELP!”  _ The lion roared, pushing her massive claws deeper into the  Time Lord.

“Hey!” Percy’s voice sounded from the left. The lion turned, and Percy threw a packet of something at her. It hit directly in the mouth, and she began to gag.

“Shoot for the mouth!” Percy shouted. The Hunters did not argue.

Arrows pierced the lion’s maw as she thrashed wildly.

Alarms wailed throughout the museum. People flocked to the exits, security guards ran around in a panic without clue of what was going on. 

Thalia knelt by the Doctor’s side, helping him to his feet. He was shaky, unsteady, but fine. He was fine. He was always fine. He could feel his insides swirling, trying to repair themselves. He began to cough, the harshness sending him back to the ground.

“Doctor!” Zoë was by his side in an instant.

The Doctor grinned, wiping the blood from his mouth. “Didn’t think you cared.”

“I don’t.” Zoë said defensively. “But Lady Artemis would be most upset if I arrived without you.”

“Doc, should we go to a hospital or something?”

“Nah,” The Doctor said, “Just needs time. Which is not something we have right now. We’ve got to go.”

“Look.” Zoë suddenly murmured.

Through the glass walls of the museum, the Doctor could see a group of men walking across the lawn. Gray men in gray camouflage outfits.

“Go,” Percy said. “They’ll be hunting me. I’ll distract them.”

“No,” Zoë said. “We go together.”

Percy stared at her. “But, you said –”

“You are part of this quest now,” Zoë said grudgingly. “I do not like it, but there is no changing fate.  _ You  _ are the sixth quest member. And we are not leaving anyone behind.”


	9. A Ride Out West

The Doctor leaned on Percy and Thalia as they hurried out of the Smithsonian. The Time Lord could feel the bleeding within his body as he desperately attempted to maintain his appearance of being okay. Blood was oozing from his chest as golden regenerative mist wrapped itself around him, and tried to pull him into a healing coma.

“We have to ditch the van.” The Doctor insisted. “There’s a metro station across the street.”

“The Doctor’s right,” Thalia said over the sound of a helicopter nearby, presumably that of Luke’s, “They’ll recognize the van.”

Using the Sonic, Percy grabbed them tickets and they hurried through the turnstiles. 

“Let’s head south towards Alexandria.” Bianca suggested, and nobody bothered argue.

Within a few minutes, they were safely aboard a southbound train, riding away from D.C. 

“Zoë,” The Doctor said suddenly, “I’m going to go into a healing coma,”

“A what?” Percy asked.

“It’s what his people do to speed up the healing process.” Zoë quickly explained, “Right, I assume you want me to wake you if there’s any trouble?”

The Doctor nodded. 

“Yeah, fine whatever.”

The Doctor closed his eyes, allowing the world to fade into darkness, just as Zoë was saying, “Uch. Men.”

The Doctor was woken a number of times whilst in transit. Every time by a slap in the face from Zoë. 

“Come on,” She said, “We are switching trains and I am not carrying thee.”

Thalia and Percy helped the Doctor up once more, though his chest was significantly more healed over the short jumps of time that he was unconscious. 

They got off the train for the third time, only to find themselves in an industrial area with nothing but warehouses and railway tracks. It was incredibly cold for human standards, and the Doctor found himself giving his trenchcoat to Thalia, who gratefully accepted. 

A man was standing at a fire in a rubbish bin. He gave a toothless grin and said, “Y’all need to get warmed up? Come on over!”

The Doctor could feel the godly energy that emanated from the man.

“Ap –”

“Fred.” The man gave the Doctor a warning look. “The name’s Fred.”

“Maybe we should contact camp,” Bianca said. “Chiron –”

“No,” Zoë said firmly. “They cannot help us anymore. We must finish this quest ourselves.”

“You know,” ‘Fred’ said, “You’re never completely without friends. You kids need a train going west?”

“Yes, sir,” Percy said, “You know of any?”

He pointed a greasy hand to a freight train. The side of the train read: SUN WEST LINE.

“How incredibly convenient.” The Doctor grinned at the man. 

‘Fred’ rolled his eyes, placing a healing hand on the Doctor’s shoulder. “Take care of yourself, kid.”

“Thanks –”

But before the line even got out, the man was gone.

“Let’s get on, then.” Thalia offered a shoulder to the Doctor, who stood up on his own, beginning to walk to the train as though he had never been impaled through the chest by massive claws.

An hour later and the Doctor, Percy, Thalia, Grover, Zoë, and Bianca were rumbling west. 

The Doctor was in no way surprised when a man appeared beside him.

“Apollo.”

“You nearly blew my cover back there!”

The Doctor shrugged. 

“I was gonna access you through a dream, but it seems that you don’t sleep.”

“Nope.” The Doctor popped the ‘p’, but wasn’t all that enthusiastic about it.

“And why not? Are you afraid of dreams too?”

“Too?” The Doctor inquired.

Apollo rolled his eyes dramatically as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Why Percy, of course.”

“I’m not afraid of dreams.” The Doctor denied.

“Oh, Doctor, I think you forget that I’m a god. I know all, I see all.”

“No you don’t.”

“Fine, but I’m not an idiot. I know when someone’s lying to me.”

“When you have seen the things I have, there is valid reason not to dream.” The Doctor explained vaguely.

“You’re just a kid, kid.” Apollo said.

“Oh, come on, surely you’re not  _ that  _ thick.” The Doctor said, “You must’ve heard the rumors on Olympus.”

“No, I would know if you were my brother.” Apollo said. The Doctor nodded approvingly. “Hermes knows.”

“That he does.”

“And why won’t you tell me?” Apollo whined. “C’mon, I’m the best most reliable god of all time.”

“Oh yeah, so reliable.” The Doctor said sarcastically.

“I healed you, didn’t I?”

“Thank you.”

“I’ll get it out of you one of these days. Or maybe one of your little friends.” He grinned mischievously and disappeared.

The train pulled to a stop on the outskirts of a small ski town nestled in the mountains. It had a sign that said: WELCOME TO CLOUDCROFT, NEW MEXICO. The air was cold and thin, and the roofs of the cabins were heaped with snow, and dirty mounds of it were piled up on the sides of the streets. Tall pine trees loomed over the valley, casting shadows despite the sunny morning.

“Apollo visited me last night.” Percy said as they walked through the snow.

“You too?” The Doctor inquired. 

“What? He also visited you?”

The Doctor nodded. “What did he say to you?”

“He said he’s not supposed to, but he’s been helping us. That he doesn’t know where Annabeth is… Or Artemis… But he said that if we haven’t yet found the monster Artemis was seeking by the time we reach San Francisco, we should seek out Nereus, the Old Man of the Sea.”

“That’s good, I guess.” Grover said, “But we’ve got to get there first.”

The group stopped in the middle of town. 

“Great,” Thalia said, looking around. “No bus station. No taxis. No car rental. No way out.”

“There’s a coffee shop!” said Grover.

“Yes,” Zoë said. “Coffee is good.”

“And pastries,” Grover said dreamily. “And wax paper.”

Thalia sighed. “Fine. How about you two go get us some food. The rest of us will check the grocery store. Maybe they can give us directions.”

They agreed to meet back in front of the grocery store in fifteen minutes. Bianca looked a tad uncomfortable with the Doctor, Percy, and Thalia, but she did not say.

Inside the store, they found out a few valuable tips about Cloudcroft: there wasn’t enough snow for skiing, the grocery store sold rubber rats for a dollar each, and there was no easy way in or out of the town unless you had your own car. 

“You could call for a taxi from Alamogordo,” the clerk said doubtfully. “That’s down at the bottom of the mountains, but it would take at least an hour to get here. Cost several hundred dollars.”

The Doctor thanked the man and the six of them returned outside and stood on the porch.

“Wonderful,” Thalia grumped.”I’m going to walk down the street, see if anybody in the other shops has a suggestion.”

“But the clerk said –” Percy began.

“I know,” she said, “I’m checking anyway.”

“I’ll come too.” Percy followed. The Doctor stood there with Bianca.

“Do you think I was wrong for joining the Hunt?”

The Doctor hesitated. “Wrong? No. Will you regret it? I’m not sure.”

“Nico didn’t understand my decision.”

“No, he didn’t, but as he gets older and sees more, I think he will.”

Bianca hummed quietly.

“So where are you and Nico from? Before Westover, I mean.”

“Oh,” She frowned. “I think it was a boarding school in D.C. It seems like so long ago.”

“And your mortal parent, did you ever live with them?”

“We were told our parents were dead.” Bianca said. “There was a bank trust for us. A lot of money, I think. A lawyer would come by once in a while to check on us. Then Nico and I had to leave that school.”

“Why?”

Bianca knit her eyebrows. “We had to go somewhere. I remember it was important. We traveled a long way. And we stayed in this hotel for a few weeks. And then… I don’t know. One day a different lawyer came to get us out. He said it was time for us to leave. He drove us back east, through D.C. Then up to Maine. And we started going to Westover.”

“So you’ve been raising Nico, then? Your whole life?”

She nodded. “That’s why I wanted to join the Hunters so bad. I mean, I know it’s selfish, but I wanted my own life and friends. I love Nico – don’t get me wrong – I just needed to find out what it would be like not to be a big sister twenty-four hours a day.”

The Doctor nodded. “I’ll keep him safe.” He promised, “And Camp Half-Blood’ll be good for him. He’ll learn to take care of himself.”

“Thanks.” She smiled longingly, like she had something else to say.  “So you’ve known Artemis for a long time, right?”

“Yes. It’s been several hundred years now.”

“I know she’s a maiden and all that… But her and you… You’re not…?”

“No, no.” The Doctor laughed, “Not at all.”

“Oh, right.” Bianca turned red with embarrassment. “I think Zoë suspects…”

“Well, she’s thick, isn’t she.” The Doctor grinned. “I’ve known her for a very long time as well. She’s never much liked me.”

“Why not?”

“Well,” The Doctor gestured to his form, “My people may not distinguish between male and female, but she’s yet to see me in a female form, and so I think she believes me to be corrupting the Hunt. To be corrupting Artemis.”

“Does Artemis know Zoë thinks this?”

“Yes.” The Doctor smiled, “Neither of us blame her.”

“And you’re sure you’re not…?”

The Doctor gave a sad smile, “She reminds me of my daughter.”

“What? You have a kid?”

“I did.”

“Did?”

“We should do a tracking spell,” Zoë said, walking out of the coffee shop with drinks and pastries, “Grover, do you have any acorns left?”

“Umm,” Grover mumbled. He was chewing on a bran muffin with the wrapper. “I think so, I just need to –”

He froze.

The Doctor could feel a warm breeze that rustled past, piercing through the cold of the winter. There was something else as well, a calling out, a familiar voice that was trying to warn them of something.

Zoë gasped. “Grover, thy cup.”

Grover dropped his coffee cup, which was decorated with pictures of doves. The doves had peeled off the cup and flown away.

Grover collapsed beside his coffee, which steamed against the snow.

“Grover!” The Doctor sat the satyr up, “Grover, did you feel that?”

“Hey!” Thalia said, running across the street. “I just… What’s wrong with Grover?”

The Doctor smiled as Grover nodded excitedly, “Yes! I did! Doctor, I did!”

“Feel what? What’s going on?” Thalia demanded. 

“Come on.” The Doctor pulled Grover up and began to carry him bridal-style towards the edge of town.

They had just made it back to the welcome sign when the first two skeleton warriors appeared. They stepped from the trees on either side of the road. They were both wearing blue New Mexico State Police uniforms with transparent gray skin and brilliant yellow eyes.

They drew their handguns. “I hate guns.” The Doctor grumbled.

Thalia tapped her bracelet. Aegis spiraled to life on her arm, but the warriors didn’t so much as flinch. They were staring directly at Percy, who was wrapped in the fur that he had taken from the lion at the Smithsonian.

Percy drew Riptide and Zoë and Bianca drew their bows.

“Back up,” Thalia said.

The group began to, but there was a rustling in the branches, and two more skeletons appeared on the road behind them. They were surrounded.

One of the warriors raised a mobile to his mouth and spoke into it, calling to his brethren.

“It’s near,” Grover moaned.

“I know.” The Doctor smiled down at the satyr in his arms, “I can feel it too, Grover.”

“What are you talking about?” Percy demanded, “They are here.”

“No, not this,” The Doctor explained, “A gift from the Wild. It’s coming.”

“We have to go one-on-one,” Thalia said. “Four of them, four of us. Doctor, you protect Grover.”

“The Wild!” Grover moaned. Another warm wind blew through the canyon, rustling the trees.

Percy charged, deflecting the first bullet off of the edge of Riptide, and as the skeleton drew a baton, Percy sliced off his arms at the elbows, then swung Riptide through his waist and cut him in half.

His bones clattered to the asphalt in a heap, but almost immediately, they began to move, to reform.

The second skeleton let out an angry cry and tried to fire, but Percy knocked his gun into the snow.

The Doctor heard the gunshots before he saw the bullets. They crashed into Percy’s back, sending him falling into the street.

“Percy!” The Doctor sprinted over to the boy, disposing of Grover beside him. 

Percy looked up at the Doctor, confusion in his eyes. He reached back, the Doctor inspected him, then let out a laugh, it was breathey, more relieved than anything, and helped the half-blood to his feet.

“The Nemean Lion’s fur.” The Doctor breathed, “It’s bulletproof.”

Thalia charged the second skeleton. Zoë and Bianca began firing arrows at the third and fourth. Grover held his hands out to the trees. 

There was then a crashing through the trees. It was so close. 

Zoë and Bianca continued to fire at the skeletons, but it wasn’t doing any good. 

One lunged at Bianca, but she whipped out her hunting knife and stabbed the warrior in the chest. The entire skeleton erupted into flames, leaving a small pile of ashes and a police badge.

“How did you do that?” Zoë asked.

“I don’t know,” Bianca said nervously. “Lucky stab?”

“Well, do it again?”

Bianca tried, but the remaining three skeletons were wary of her now. They were sure to keep the heroes at a baton’s length.

With a mighty roar, a massive boar came crashing into the road. Squealing loudly, it raked the three skeletons aside with its canoe-sized tusks, sending them flying over the trees and into the side of the mountain where they were smashed into pieces.

The boar turned on the heroes.

Thalia raised her spear, but Grover yelled, “Don’t kill it!”

“That’s the Erymanthian Boar,” Zoë said, trying to stay calm. “I don’t think we  _ can  _ kill it.”

The Doctor deposited Grover back on the ground and raised a hand as the boar pawed the ground, ready to charge.

“Yeah, because that worked  _ so  _ well last time!” Zoë yelled.

“Hey,” The Doctor gave a calming hand, “Hey, I’m a friend, you’re okay, remember me?”

The boar hesitated, before letting out a grunt.

“Healer?”

“Yes, that’s me.” The Doctor laughed, “Did Pan send you?”

“Why of course, Lord. But I did not expect these.” He gestured with his head to the demigods.

“They’re friends of mine,” The Doctor said, “I trust them. 

“Then so do I.”

“Lovely.”

“I hear you need a ride west?”

The Doctor called to the others, “Come on! He won’t bite – Well, he will, but not if you’re nice. Darla’s going to take us west.”

“Darla?” Zoë raised an eyebrow.

“Oi! I said be nice!” The Doctor said as Darla let out an angry grunt. “Just get on.”

“Hello, Darla.” Grover said affectionately, climbing on, before whispering to the sky, “Thank you, Lord Pan.”


	10. In the Sands of the Desert

The Doctor, Percy, Grover, Thalia, Zoë, and Bianca rode Darla until sunset, where he finally stopped at a creek bed. “This is as far as I will go.” Darla said, bending down to drink the muddy water.

The six heroes slid off and went to stretch their legs. After his third cactus and another drink of muddy water, Darla squealed and belched, then whirled around, beginning to gallop back east.

Ahead of them, on the other side of a two-lane road, half-covered in sand, was a cluster of buildings. There was a boarded up house, a closed taco shop, and a white stucco post office with a sign that said GILA CLAW, ARIZONA that hung crookedly above the door. Beyond that was a range of hills, but not ordinary hills, these were massive mounds of old cars, appliances, and other scrap metal. It was a junkyard.

“Woah.” Percy said.

“Something tells me we’re not going to find a car rental here,” Thalia said. She looked at Grover, “I don’t suppose you got another wild boar up your sleeve?”

Grover was sniffing the wind, looking nervous. He fished out his acorns and threw them into the sand, then played his pipes. They rearranged themselves into a pattern, causing Grover to look concerned.

“That’s us,” he said. “Those five nuts right there.”

“Which one is me?” Percy inquired.

“The little deformed one,” Zoë suggested.

“Oh, shut up.”

“That cluster right there,” Grover said, pointing to the left, “That’s trouble.”

“A monster?” Thalia asked.

Grover looked uneasy. “I don’t smell anything, which doesn’t make sense, but the acorns don’t lie. Our next challenge…”

He pointed straight towards the junkyard.

“Looks like just about every other junk planet I’ve been to…” The Doctor muttered, “This shouldn’t be too hard.”

They decided to camp for the night and try the junkyard in the morning. Zoë and Bianca produced six sleeping bags and foam mattresses from their backpacks. Bigger on the inside, of course. 

The night got cold fast, and so the Doctor began a campfire.

“The stars are out,” Zoë observed.

“Amazing,” Bianca said. “I’ve never actually seen the Milky way.”

“This is nothing,” Zoë said. “In the old days, there were more. Whole constellations have disappeared because of human light pollution.”

The Doctor hummed in agreement.

“You talk like you’re not human.” Percy observed.

Zoë raised an eyebrow. “I am a Hunter. I care what happens to the wild places of the world. Can the same be said for thee?”

“For  _ you,”  _ Thalia corrected. “Not  _ thee. _ ”

“But you use  _ you  _ for the beginning of a sentence.”

“And for the end,” Thalia said. “No  _ thou.  _ No  _ thee.  _ Just  _ you. _ ”

Zoë threw her hands in exasperation. “I  _ hate  _ this language. It changes too often!”

Grover sighed. He was still looking up at the stars. “If only Pan were here, he would set things right.”

Zoë nodded sadly.

“Maybe it was the coffee,” Grover said. “I was drinking coffee, and the wind came. Maybe if I drank more coffee…”

“No, Grover,” The Doctor said, “I felt it too. I heard him. He was helping us. He  _ was  _ there.”

“After this quest is done, I’m going back to New Mexico.” Grover said. “It’s the best lead we’ve gotten in two thousand years. I was  _ so close. _ ”

“What I want to know,” Thalia said, looking at Bianca, “Is how you destroyed one of the skeletons. There are a lot more out there somewhere. We need to figure out how to fight them.”

Bianca shook her head. “I don’t know. I just stabbed it and it went up in flames.”

“Maybe there’s something special about your knife.” Percy suggested.

“It’s the same as mine,” Zoë said. “Celestial bronze, yes. But mine did not affect the warriors that way.”

“Maybe you have to hit the skeleton in a certain spot.” Percy said.

The Doctor rolled this information around his head, he had known from the start that there was something… off about Bianca, but he just couldn’t pinpoint it.

“Never mind,” Zoë said, “We will find the answer. In the meantime, we should plan our next move. When we get through this junkyard, we must continue west. If we can find a road, we can hitchhike to the nearest city. I think that would be Las Vegas.”

“No!” Bianca suddenly shouted. “Not there!”

Zoë frowned. “Why?”

Bianca took a shaky breath. “I… I think we stayed there for a while. Nico and I. When we were traveling. And then… I can’t remember…”

“Bianca,” The Doctor suddenly breathed, “Bianca, the hotel you stayed at. Was it the Lotus Hotel and Casino?”

Her eyes widened. “How could you know that?”

“Oh, great.” Percy said.

“Wait,” Thalia said. “What is the Lotus Casino?”

“That’s what it is!” The Doctor said. “I knew something wasn’t right with you, it was instinctual, you were out of your time somehow.”

“A couple years ago,” Percy explained to the others, “Grover, Annabeth, the Doctor, and I got trapped there. It’s designed so you never want to leave. We stayed for about an hour. When we came out, five days had passed. It makes time speed up.”

“No,” Bianca said. “No, that’s not possible.”

“You said somebody came and got you out,” Percy remembered.

“Yes.”

“What did they look like? What did they say?”

“I… I don’t remember. Please, I really don’t want to talk about this.”

Zoë sat forwards, her eyebrows knit with concern. “You said that Washington, D.C., had changed when you went back last summer. You didn’t remember the subway being there.”

“When –” The Doctor but Percy quickly explained.

“Back on the train when you were asleep.”

“Oh.” The Doctor hesitated, “The D.C. Metro began construction in 1969… That was over thirty nine years ago.”

“Bianca,” Zoë said, “Can you tell me the name of the president of the United States right now?”

“Don’t be silly,” Bianca said, naming the correct president.

“And who was the president before that?” Zoë pressed.

Bianca thought for a while. “Roosevelt.”

Zoë swallowed. “Theodore or Franklin?”

“Franklin,” Bianca said. “F.D.R.”

“Like FDR Drive?” Percy asked.

“Bianca,” Zoë said. “F.D.R. was not the last president. That was about seventy years ago.”

“That’s impossible,” Bianca siad. “I…I’m not that old.”

She looked down at her hands as though to assure herself they weren’t wrinkled.

“It’s okay, Bianca.” Thalia said softly. “The important thing is you and Nico are safe. You made it out.”

“But how?” Percy said. “We were only in there for an hour and barely escaped. How could you have escaped after being there for so long?”

“I told you.” Bianca looked just about ready to cry. “A man came and said it was time to leave. And –”

“But who? Why did he do it?”

Before Bianca could answer, the group were hit with a blazing light from down the road. The headlights of a car appeared out of nowhere, and so the group grabbed their sleeping bags and got out of the way as a deathly white limousine slid to a stop before them.

The back door of the limo opened right beside Percy. Before he could step away, the point of a sword touched his throat.

The owner of the sword got out of the car, forcing Percy to step back slowly.

“Not so fast now, are you, punk?”

“Ares.” The Doctor said coldly.

“At ease, people.” Ares snapped his fingers and everyones’ weapons fell to the ground. “This is a friendly meeting.” He dug the point of his blade a little further underneath Percy’s chin. “Of course I’d  _ like  _ to take your head for a trophy, but someone wants to see you. And I never behead my enemies in front of a lady.”

“What lady?” Thalia asked.

Ares looked over at her. “Well, well. I heard you were back.”

He lowered his sword, pushing Percy away.

“Thalia, daughter of Zeus,” Ares mused. “You’re not hanging out with very good company.”

“What’s your business, Ares?” She said. “Who’s in the car?”

Ares smiled, enjoying the attention. “Oh, I doubt she wants to meet the rest of you. Particularly not  _ them. _ ” He jutted his chin towards Zoë and Bianca. “Why don’t you all go get some tacos while you wait? Only take Percy a few minutes.”

“We will not leave him alone with thee, Lord Ares,” Zoë said.

“Besides,” Grover managed, “The taco place is closed.”

Ares snapped his fingers again. The lights inside the taqueria suddenly blazed to life. The boards flew off the door and the closed sign flipped to open. “You were saying, goat boy?”

“We’re still not leaving him alone.” Thalia said firmly.

“Fine, the Doctor can come too.” Ares said, rolling his eyes, “She’s been wanting to meet you too.”

“Fine.” Grover, Zoë, Thalia, and Bianca reluctantly made their way over to the taco restaurant.

Ares opened the door of the limousine. “Get inside, punks,” he said. “And mind your manners. She’s not as forgiving of rudeness as I am.”

“Aphrodite.” The Doctor greeted the goddess as he entered. TShe was wearing a red satin dress and her hair was curled in a cascade of ringlets. Her face was idealistic for human standards: flawless makeup, dazzling eyes, and a smile that lit up the moon.

“Ah, Doctor, Percy, welcome, my dears. Hold this, won’t you, doll?” She handed Percy a polished mirror. She leaned forwards, dabbing at her lipstick, though there was nothing wrong with it. “Do you know why you’re here?” She asked.

Percy seemed unable to form a sentence properly, finally managing, “I… I… uh, I dunno.”

“Oh, dear,” Aphrodite said. “Still in denial?”

From outside the car, the Doctor could hear Ares chuckling.

“Well then, why are you on this quest?”

“Artemis has been captured!”

Aphrodite rolled her eyes. “Oh, Artemis.  _ Please.  _ Talk about a hopeless case. I mean, if they were going to kidnap a goddess, she should be breathtakingly beautiful, don’t you think? I pity the poor dears who have to imprison Artemis. Bo-ring!”

“We have to find the monster she was chasing.” The Doctor insisted.

Aphrodite had Percy hold the mirror up a little higher, dabbing at her mascara. “Always some monster. But my dear, Percy,” She looked at the boy, “That is why the  _ others  _ are on this quest. I’m more interested in  _ you. _ ”

Percy hesitated. “Annabeth is in trouble.”

Aphrodite beamed. “Exactly!”

“I have to help her,” Percy said. “I’ve been having these dreams.”

“Ah, you even dream about her! That’s so  _ cute _ !”

“No! I mean… that’s not what I meant.”

Aphrodite made a  _ tsk-tsk  _ sound. “Percy, I’m on your side. I’m the reason you’re here after all.”

“You,” The Doctor growled in realization, “You poisoned the T-shirt.”

“Of course,” She smiled sweetly, “And Blackjack, you think that was a coincidence?”

_ “You  _ did that?” Percy gasped.

“Yes,” She said obviously. “Because really, how boring these Hunters are! A quest for some monster, blah blah blah. Saving Artemis. Let her stay lost, I say. But a quest for true love –”

“Wait a second,” Percy said, “I never said –”

“Oh, my dear. You don’t need to say it. You  _ do  _ know Annabeth was close to joining the Hunters, don’t you?”

Percy turned pink. “I wasn’t sure –”

“She was about to throw her life away! And you, my dear, you can save her from that. It’s so romantic!”

“Uh…”

“Oh, put the mirror down,” Aphrodite ordered. “I look fine.”

Percy put down the mirror.

“Now listen, Percy,” Aphrodite said. “The Hunters are your enemies. Forget them and Artemis and the monster. That’s not important. You just concentrate on finding and saving Annabeth.”

“Do you know where she is?” Percy asked desperately.

Aphrodite waved her hand irritably. “No, no. I leave the details to you. But it’s been ages since we’ve had a good tragic love story.”

“Woah, first of all, I never said anything about love.” Percy said. “And second, what’s up with  _ tragic?”  _

“Love conquers all,” Aphrodite promised. “Look at Helen and Paris. Did they let anything come between them?”

“No, you got thousands of people killed by starting the Trojan War.” The Doctor pointed out.

“Pfft. That’s not the pont.” Aphrodite rolled her eyes. “Follow your heart, Percy.”

“But…I don’t know where it’s going. My heart, I mean.” Percy admitted.

The goddess smiled sympathetically. “Not knowing is half the fun,” She said. “Exquisitely painful, isn’t it? Not being sure who you love and who loves you? Oh, you kids! It’s so cute I’m going to cry.”

“No, no,” Percy said. “Don’t do that.”

“And don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not going to let this be easy and boring for you. No, I have some wonderful surprises in store. Anguish. Indecision. Oh, you just wait.”

“That’s really okay,” Percy said. “Don’t go to any trouble.”

“You're  _ so  _ cute. I wish all my daughters could break the heart of a boy as nice as you.” Aphrodite’s eyes were tearing up. 

“And you, Doctor, I think you may be the last chance for dear Artemis.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I think you’d better go.” Aphrodite winked, “And do be careful in my husband’s territory, boys. Don’t take anything. He is awfully fussy about his trinkets and trash.”

“What?” Percy asked.

“Hephaestus.” The Doctor informed him quietly.

The car door opened and Ares grabbed the back of Percy and the Doctor’s shirts, pulling them out of the car and back into the desert night.

Their audience with the love goddess was over.

“You’re lucky, punks.” Ares pushed the two boys away from the limousine. “Be grateful.”

“For what?” Percy asked.

“That we’re being so nice. If it was up to me –”

“So why’ve you not killed us yet?” The Doctor asked, “Not that I’m complaining or anything.”  
“I’d love to kill you, seriously,” Ares promised, “But see, I got a situation. Word on Olympus is that you, Percy Jackson, might start the biggest war in history. I can’t risk messing that up. Besides, Aphrodite thinks you’re some kinda soap-opera star or something. I kill you, that makes you look bad with her.”

“And what about the Doctor?”

“Because the Doctor fascinates me, and I think,” He inspected the Doctor, “He will make a particularly destructive warrior.”

Fury lit up in the Doctor’s eyes. Ares licked his lips. “That’s what I’m talking about.”

The god snapped his fingers and disappeared. 

“What did she  _ want  _ with you?” Bianca asked once Percy had told the rest of the group of their meeting with Aphrodite.

“Oh, uh, not sure,” Percy lied before the Doctor could say anything. “She said to be careful in her husband’s junkyard. She said not to pick anything up.”

Zoë narrowed her eyes. “The goddess of love would not make a special trip to tell thee that. Be careful, Percy. Aphrodite has led many heroes astray.”

“For once, I agree with Zoë,” Thalia said. “You can’t trust Aphrodite.”

“Come on, we should keep heading west.” The Doctor said, changing the subject.

“That way.” Zoë said, turning.

“How can you tell?” Percy asked.

Zoë rolled her eyes dramatically. “Ursa Major is in the birth, which means  _ that  _ must be west.” She pointed at the constellations in the sky.

“Oh yeah,” Percy said, “The bear thing.”

Zoë looked offended. “Show some respect. It was a fine bear. A worthy opponent.”

“Guys,” Grover broke in. “Look!”

The group had reached the crest of one of the mountains of junk. Piles of metal objects glinted in the moonlight: broken heads of bronze horses, metal legs from human statues, smashed chariots, tons of shields and swords and other weapons, along with more modern objects, like cars that gleamed gold and silver, refrigerators, washing machines, and computer monitors.

“Woah,” Bianca said. “That stuff… some of it looks like real gold.”

“That’s because it is.” The Doctor said, “This is the junkyard of the gods.  _ Don’t touch anything.” _

“Junk?” Grover picked up a beautiful crown of gold, silver, adn a variety of jewels. It was broken on one side, as if split by an axe. “You call this junk?”

The Doctor all but swatted the crown from his hands.  _ “Don’t touch.” _

“Look!” Bianca said, racing down the hill, tripping over bronze coils and golden plates. She picked up a bow that glowed silver in the moonlight. “A Hunter’s bow!”

She yelped in surprise as the bow began to shrink, becoming a small hair clip in the shape of a crescent moon. “It’s just like Percy’s sword!”

Zoë’s face was grim. “Leave it, Bianca.”

“But –”

“It is here for a reason. Anything thrown away in the junkyard must stay in this yard. It is defective. Or cursed.”

Bianca reluctantly set the hair clip down. 

“I don’t like this place,” Thalia said, gripping the shaft of her spear.”

“You think we’re going to get attacked by killer refrigerators?” Percy asked.

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Things get thrown away here for a reason, Percy.”

The group began picking their way through the hills and valleys of junk. The Doctor spent a lot of time knocking things out of Percy and Grover’s hands.

Finally, they could see the edge of the junkyard. But between them and the road…

“What is that?” Bianca gasped.

Ahead of them was a hill, much larger and longer than the others. It was like a metal mesa, and at one end was a row of ten thick metal columns wedged tightly together.

Bianca frowned. “Those look like –”

“Toes,” Grover said.

Bianca nodded. “Really, really large toes.”

Zoë, Thalia, and the Doctor exchanged a nervous glance. 

“Let’s go around,” Thalia said. _“Far_ around.”  
“But the road is right over there,” Percy protested. “Quicker to climb over.”

“Yeah, obviously. But –”

_ Ping. _

A noise cut the Doctor off. Thalia hefted her spear, Zoë drew her bow, but they then relaxed, realizing that it was only Grover. He had thrown a piece of scrap metal at the toes and hit one, making a deep echo. The column was hollow.

“Why did you do that?” Zoë demanded.

Grover gringed. “I don’t know. I, uh, don’t like fake feet?”

“Come on.” Thalia looked directly at Percy.  _ “Around.” _

After several kilometers of walking, they finally stepped onto the highway, an abandoned but well-lit stretch of black asphalt.

“We made it out,” Zoë said in relief. “Thank the gods.”  
Well, Zoë’s thanks were a little premature, for at that moment, the sound of crushing metal rung out.

The Doctor spun around, and behind them, the scrap mountain was boiling, rising up. The ten toes tilted over. The ten toes tilted over, and up rose a massive bronze giant in full Greek battle armor. He was tall as a skyscraper, gleaming wickedly in the moonlight. He looked down at the children, his face deformed, the left side partially melted off. His joints creaked with rust, and across his armored chest, written in thick dust by a giant finger, were the words WASH ME.

“Talos.” The Doctor breathed.

“Who – who’s Talos?” Percy stuttered.

“One of Hephaestus’s creations,” Zoë said. “But that is not the original. ‘Tis too small. A prototype, maybe. A defective model.”

The metal giant did not seem to like the word  _ defective _ . He moved one hand to the sword belt and drew his weapon. The sound of it coming out of his sheath was horrible, metal screeching against metal. The blade looked rusty and dull, but that wasn’t going to change the lethality of it.

“Someone took something,” Zoë said. “Who took something?”

Thalia looked directly at Percy, but he shook his head.

“I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a thief.”

Bianca said nothing, she looked guilty, but they had no time to argue, as mini-Talos took one step towards them, closing half the distance and causing the earth to shake.

“Run!” The Doctor shouted, and the group split up, the Doctor following Bianca.

He pushed her against the side of a junk pile.

“What did you take?”

“I didn’t – I mean –”

“Move!” The Doctor pushed Bianca out of the way as mini-Talos smashed his foot into the ground where they’d just been standing. 

“Hey Talos!” Grover yelled, but the giant raised his sword, looking down at the Doctor and Bianca.

Grover played a quick melody on his pipes. Over at the highway, the downed power lines began to dance. The Doctor realized what Grover was doing a split-second before it happened. One of the poles with power lines still attached flew towards Talos’s back and wrapped around his calf. The line sparked and sent a jolt of electricity up the giant’s back.

“Bianca, what did you take?” The Doctor demanded. Talos would only be out of commission for so long.

Tenderly, she removed a small metal figurine from her pocket, a statue of a god. “It… it was for Nico. It was the only statue he didn’t have.”

The Doctor’s face softened. “We can get another one.” He promised. “But we have to put it down.”

She reluctantly dropped it, but nothing happened.

The giant continued to come for Grover, stabbing its sword into the junk hill, missing Grover by meters, but the scrap metal made an avalanche over him, sending him out of sight.

“No!” Thalia yelled. She pointed her spear, and a blue arc of lightning shot out, hitting the giant in his rusty knee, which buckled. The giant collapsed, but immediately began to rise again.

He raised his foot to stomp, and the Doctor could see that his sole was treaded like the bottom of a sneaker. There was a hole in his heel like a manhole, with red words painted around it: FOR MAINTENANCE ONLY.

“Oh… that’s brilliant…” The Doctor murmured, “I’m going to get inside through the hole.”

“How?” Bianca asked. “You’ll have to stand under its foot! You’ll be crushed.”

“I’ve got this,” He promised, “Distract it.”

“No.” She began to run, not waiting for the Doctor, charging at the giant’s left foot.

Thalia had its attention for the moment, and had discovered that because of his slow speed, if you could stay close and not get smashed, you could run around it and stay alive.

Bianca got right beside the foot, trying to balance herself on the mental scraps that swayed and shifted with his weight.

Zoë yelled. “What are you doing?”

“Get it to raise its foot!” She said.

Zoë shot an arrow towards the monster’s face and it flew straight into one nostril. The giant straightened and shook its head.

“Hey, Junk Boy!” Percy yelled. “Down here.”

Percy ran up to its big toe and stabbed it with Riptide. The magic blade cut a gash into the bronze. And unfortunately, it worked. Mini-Talos looked down at Percy, raising his foot to squash the boy, when Bianca climbed in. The giant knocked Percy into an Olympus-Air refrigerator.

The giant took a step towards Grover, before cocking his head to one side. He then began to move his arms and legs in strange ways. He made a fist and punched himself in the face. He continued to hit himself in the head again, dropping his sword. A shudder ran through his entire body, and he staggered forth towards the power lines.

“Look out!” Percy yeled, but it was too late as the giant's ankle snared the lines, and blue flickers of electricity shot up his body. Mini-Talos careened back into the junkyard, and his right hand fell off, landing in the scrap metal with a horrible  _ CLANG. _

His left arm came loose, too. He was falling apart at the joints.

Talos began to run.

“No!” The Doctor sprinted after him, the Sonic out and in the air, but it was no use. He crumbled, his chest and legs collapsing. When they reached the wreckage, they searched frantically, yelling Bianca’s name. They searched until the sun rose with no luck.

Zoë sat down and wept. 

Thalia yelled in rage, impaling her sword into the giant’s smashed face.

“We can keep searching,” Percy said.

“We’ll find her.” The Doctor breathed. “We have to.”

“No we won’t,” Grover said miserably. “It happened just as it was supposed to.”

“What are you talking about?” Percy demanded.

The Doctor placed his head in his hands.  _ “One shall be lost in the land without rain.”  _ He recited. “How did I not – I should never have let her –”

“It’s not your fault.”

“No!” The Doctor shouted, “No… Just… We need to keep moving.”

The Doctor looked at the desert sands underneath his feet. He lifted the small Mythomagic statue from the rubble. It should have been him.


	11. A Trip to the Hoover Dam

At the edge of the junkyard, the Doctor, Percy, Grover, Zoë, and Thalia found a tow truck. It was old and rusted, but it had a full tank of gas and the engine started, so Thalia jumped into the driver’s seat and they set off. 

“The skeletons are still out there,” Thalia reminded everyone. “We need to keep moving.”

She didn't seem particularly torn up about it as she navigated the truck through the desert. The skies were blue and clear, and the sand was bright. The air was cool and dry, but the nice weather felt like an insult after losing Bianca. 

The Doctor rolled the small figurine over in his hands. This was all his fault. Another person had died. _Another_ one. And it was his fault. _Again._

The tow truck ran out of gas at the edge of a river canyon. That was just as well, because they hit a dead end.

Thalia got out and slammed the door. Immediately, one of the tires blew. “Great. What now?”

The Doctor scanned the horizon. There wasn’t much to see, and desert stretched in every direction. The river itself wasn’t big, maybe forty-five meters across, with green water and a few rapids, but it carved a massive scar of the desert. The rock cliffs dropped away below.

“There’s a path,” Grover said. “We could get to the river.”

“That’s a goat path,” Percy pointed out, “The rest of us aren’t goats.”

“We can make it,” Grover said, “I think.”

“No, I think we should go further upstream.” Percy said, glancing at Thalia’s face, which had gone rather pale. 

“But –” Grover tried to protest.

“Come on,” Percy said, “A walk won’t hurt us.”

Thalia shot a silent _thank you_ to Percy.

They followed the river for a while before coming to an easier slope that led down to the water. On the shore was a canoe rental operation that was closed for the season. 

“We need to go upstream,” Zoë said. It was the first time she’d spoken since the junkyard. “The rapids are too swift.”

“Leave that to me,” Percy said as they put the canoes in the water.

The Doctor sat with Zoë in one canoe, and Percy, Thalia, and Grover crammed themselves into the other. 

As it turned out, Percy had no need to control the water, as in the water were a number of naiads that were all too happy to help the son of Poseidon.

“I hate naiads,” Zoë grumbled as the young creatures pushed the canoes up the river.

A stream of water squirted up from the back of the boat and hit Zoë in the face. 

“She-devils!” Zoë went for her bow.

“They’re just playing, Zoë.” The Doctor said calmly.

“Cursed water spirits. They’ve never forgiven me.”

“Whatever for?”

She slung her bow back over her shoulder. “It was a long time ago. Never mind.”

They sped up the river, the cliffs looming up on either side of the canoes.

“It wasn’t your fault, Doctor.”

The Doctor smiled sadly. “We both know it was.”

“No, I pushed her into going on the quest.” Zoë said, her shoulders slumped, “I pushed her into going on the quest. I was too anxious. She was a powerful half-blood. She had a kind heart, as well. I…I thought she would be the next lieutenant.”

“Is it death you fear or straying?” The Doctor asked.

“Nothing can last forever, Doctor. Over two thousand years I have led the Hunt, and my wisdom has not improved. Now Artemis herself is in danger.”

“I should have protected her.” The Doctor sighed. “I should have gone with her.”

“She would never let you.”

“I know.”

The cliffs along the river were getting taller. Long shadows fell across the water, dropping the temperature of the area.

“So, mettling with half-bloods now, are you?”

The Doctor laughed emotionlessly. “Just trying to stop a war.”

Zoë hummed in agreement. “I don’t know if there’s anything you can do about it.”

“There has to be,” The Doctor said, “It’s not a fixed point, I have to be able to –”

“It wouldn’t be the first time there was nothing you could do.”

The Doctor looked softly on the girl. “Zoë, you know I did everything I could –”

“Yeah. Right.” She sighed. “How are they, then?”

“They’re okay. Your mum’s being, well, Pleione.” The Doctor shrugged, “You know how she is, doesn’t think she needs to change.”

“Spends more time with her damn sheep than she does her kids, I know.” Zoë sighed. “And how are my sisters?”

“Well, Zeus is still trying to seduce Alkyone, Merope, Kelaino, and Sterope.”

“Still trying to get the full collection, is he?”

The Doctor sighed in agreement. 

“It doesn’t matter.” Zoë grumbled, “Elektra, Taygete, and Maia are total pushovers.”

“Yeah, well, no more children yet.”

“Oh, just you wait, they’re complete slu–”

“Be nice, Zoë.”

“Have any of them asked about me?”

“Maia does occasionally.”

Zoë’s face softened. “She was always the nice one.”

“They were wrong to exile you, Zoë, you do know that, right?”

“I know, I know.” Zoë sighed. “It just doesn’t feel like it sometimes…”

“I know.” The Doctor said, allowing the girl to put her head down on his lap, looking up at the sky longingly.

The canoes finally began to slow as they approached a massive dam.

“The Hoover Dam.” The Doctor heard Thalia say from the other canoe. “It’s huge.”

They indeed stood at the river’s edge, looking up at the curve of the concrete that loomed between the cliffs. 

The naiads had left grumbling about the pollution of humans and the disgusting blockage up their nice river. The canoes floated back downstream, swirling in the wake from the dam’s discharge vents.

“Seven hundred feet tall,” Percy said. “Built in the 1930s.”

“Five million cubic acres of water.” Thalia said.

Grover sighed. “Largest construction project in the United States.”

Zoë stared at the group. “How do you know all that?”

“Annabeth,” The Doctor explained tenderly, “She liked architecture.”

“She was nuts about monuments,” Thalia said.

“Spouted facts all the time.” Grover sniffled. “So annoying.”

“I wish she were here,” Percy said.

The others nodded, but Zoë looked at them strangely, almost in fascination.

“We should go up there,” Percy said. “For her sake. Just to say we’ve been.”

“You’re mad,” Zoë decided. “But that’s where the road is.” She pointed to a multi-story car park beside the top of the dam. “And so, sightseeing it is.”

They walked for a little less than an hour before they found a path that led up to the road. It came up on the east side of the river. They straggled back towards the dam. On one side, a massive lake spread out, ringed by barren desert mountains. On the other side, the dam dropped away down to the river.

Thalia walked in the middle of the road, far away from the edges. Grover kept sniffing the wind and looking anxious, though said nothing. 

“How close are the monsters?” The Doctor inquired.

The satyr shook his head. “Maybe not close. The wind on the dam, the desert all around us… the scent can probably carry for miles. But it’s coming from several directions. I don’t like that.”

“There’s a snack bar in the visitor center,” Thalia said.

“You’ve been here before?” Percy asked.

“Once. To see the guardians.” She pointed to the far end of the dam. Carved into the side of the cliff was a little plaza with two massive bronze statues. 

“They were dedicated to Zeus when the dam was built,” Thalia said. “A gift from Athena.”

Tourists were clustered all around them. They appeared to be looking at the statues’ feet.

“What are they doing?” Percy asked.

“Rubbing the toes,” Thalia explained. “They think it’s good luck.”

“Why?”

“Mortals get crazy ideas,” Thalia said, shaking her head, “They don’t know the statues are sacred to Zeus, but they know there’s something special about them.”

“When you were here last, did they talk to you or anything?” Percy asked.

Thalia’s expression darkened. It was very obvious that she’d come here before, hoping for exactly that: for some kind of sign from her father. Some connection. “No. They don’t do anything. They’re just big metal statues.”

“Let us find the dam snack bar,” Zoë said. “We should eat while we can.”

Grover cracked a smile. “The dam snack bar?”

Zoë blinked in confusion. “Yes. What is funny?”

“Nothing,” Grover said, attempting to keep a straight face. “I could use some dam french fries.”

Even Thalia smiled at that. “And I need to use the dam restroom.”

“I do not understand.” Zoë said, looking at the group. 

“I want to use the dam water fountain,” Grover said.

“And…” Thalia tried to catch her breath. “I want to buy a dam T-shirt.”

The Doctor attempted to explain this to Zoë as Percy, Grover, and Thalia continued to crack up.

They were all suddenly cut off by:

“Moooo.”

The smile melted off Percy and Grover’s faces.

“Did I just hear a cow?” Grover asked, looking around.

“A dam cow?” Thalia laughed.

“No,” Grover said. “I’m serious.”

Zoë listened. “I hear nothing.”

The Doctor looked at Percy, “You all right?”

“Yeah,” He said. “You guys go ahead. I’ll be right in.”

“What’s wrong?” Grover asked.

“Nothing,” Percy said. “I…I just need a minute. To think.”

“We shouldn’t leave anyone alone.” Zoë said.

“I’ll go with him.” The Doctor volunteered.

“That okay with you, Percy?” Thalia asked.

Percy hesitated for a moment, before finally nodding in acceptance. “Yeah, that’s okay.”

Zoë, Thalia, and Grover made their way into the visitor center, and the Doctor followed Percy as he proceeded to the north edge of the dam and looked over.

“Moo.”

A small cow serpent was down below in the lake.

“Bessie,” Percy said in surprise, before explaining, “Oh, right, she’s the sea cow I rescued back at Camp Half-Blood. “What are you doing here?” Percy asked her.

 _“Something’s coming!”_ She warned, _“Come with me!”_

“We can’t,” Percy told her. “Our friends are inside.”

“We have to warn the others,” The Doctor said, but just as the words came out of his mouth, he looked down the road to see two figures slowly walking closer and closer. They wore gray camouflage outfits that flickered over skeletal bodies.”

They passed through a group of children and pushed them aside. 

“Hey!” A kid yelled, causing one of the warriors to turn, his face changing momentarily into a skull.

The child screamed and his entire group backed away.

The Doctor and Percy sprinted to the visitor center.

They were nearly to the stairs when they heard tires squeal. On the west side of the dam, a black van swerved to a stop in the middle of the road, nearly plowing into some elderly people.

The van doors opened and more skeleton warriors piled out, surrounding the Doctor and Percy.

The two boys sprinted through the exhibits, ducking behind a tour group.

“Stop!” The metal detector guard yelled, but the Doctor and Percy squeezed inside the lift with the tour group just as the door closed.

“We’ll be going down seven hundred feet,” the tour guide said cheerfully, a godly aura emanating off of her. She was a park ranger with long black hair that was pulled back into a ponytail with tinted glasses. “Don’t worry ladies and gentlemen, the elevator hardly ever breaks.”

“Optimistic.” The Doctor mumbled.

“Does this go to the snack bar?” Percy asked.

A few people chuckled. “To the turbines, young man.” She said. “Weren’t you listening to my fascinating presentations upstairs?”

“We were just wondering if there was another way out of the dam.” The Doctor covered. 

“It’s a dead end,” a tourist behind the boys said. “For heaven’s sake. The only way out is the other elevator.”

The doors opened.

“Go right ahead, folks,” The tour guide told the group. “Another ranger is waiting for you at the end of the corridor.”

The Doctor and Percy began to follow the group, when the tour guide called out, “Boys!”

They spun around. She had removed her glasses to reveal startling gray eyes. “There is always a way out for those clever enough to find it.”

The door closed with the tour guide still inside, leaving the boys alone.

Before the Doctor or Percy could do much else, a _ding_ came from around the corner. The second lift was opening and there was the unmistakable sound of clattering skeleton teeth.

“Come on, then.” The Doctor grinned like a maniac, sprinting after the tour group through the tunnel carved from solid rock. The air hummed with electricity and the roar of water. They made their way out of a U-shaped balcony that overlooked a massive warehouse with massive turbines that were running far below.

Another tour guide was speaking over the microphone, telling tourists about water supplies in Nevada. The Doctor and Percy worked their way around the crowd and into a hallway at the other side of the balcony. 

By the time they got to the opposite side of the balcony, they backed into a small hallway, watching the tunnel they’d come from.

Directly behind him, the Doctor heard a sharp _Chhh!_ , but not like that of a skeleton. Unfortunately, Percy did not seem to make the distinction, and in a flash had uncapped Riptide and attempted to slice her in half.

The girl he had attempted to slice open yelped and dropped her Kleenex.

“Oh my – Do you always kill people when they blow their nose?”

Yes, Riptide had passed cleanly through the girl harmlessly.

“You’re mortal!” Percy breathed in relief.

She looked at the boy in disbelief. “What’s _that_ supposed to mean? Of course I’m mortal! How did you get that sword past security?”

“I didn’t – Wait, you can see it’s a sword?”

The girl rolled her vibrant green eyes. She had frizzy reddish-brown hair, and her nose was red as though she had a cold. She wore a large maroon Harvard jumper and jeans that were covered with marker stains and small holes.

“Well, it’s either a sword or the biggest toothpick in the world,” She said. “And why didn’t it hurt me? I mean, not that I’m complaining. Who are you? And woah, what is that you’re wearing? Is that made of lion fur?”

“Right, I’m the Doctor, this is Percy, It’s a magic sword. Who are you, then?”

“Rachel Elizabeth Dare. And there’s no such thing as magic.”

“Look, we’re kind of in a hurry. And We’re in trouble.”

“In a hurry or in trouble?” The girl asked. 

“Um, sort of both.” Percy admitted.

She looked over the boys’ shoulders, her eyes widening. “Bathroom!”

“What?”

“Bathroom! Behind me! Now!”

The Doctor and Percy slipped into the boys’ bathroom. From outside the door, the Doctor could hear the clattering and hissing of the skeletons that passed by them. 

“Oh my god! Did you _see_ those kids?” Rachel's voice sounded from outside the door. “It’s about time you got here. One of them tried to kill me! He had a sword, for god’s sake. You security guys let sword-swinging lunatics inside a national landmark? I mean, jeez! They ran that way toward those turbine thingies. I think they went over the side or something. Maybe they fell.”

The skeletons cried out in excitement and they began to move away. 

Rachel opened the door. “All clear. But you’d better hurry.”

She looked shaken, her face gray and sweaty.

“We owe you one.” Percy said in relief.

“What are those things?” She asked. “They looked like –”

“Skeletons?”

She nodded uneasily.

“Do yourself a favor,” Percy said. “Forget it. Forget you ever saw us.”

The Doctor glanced over to see the skeletons turn around.

“Run!”

The boys were off again. 

The café was packed with children enjoying their lunch. Thalia, Zoë, and Grover were sitting down with their food. 

“We need to leave.” The Doctor said as he reached the table, “Now.”

“But we just got our burritos!” Thalia protested.

“He’s right!” Zoë was on her feet, “Look!”

The café windows wrapped all the way around the observation floor, which gave a panoramic view of the skeletal army that had come to kill them.

There were two on the east side of the road, blocking the way to Arizona. Three more were on the west side, guarding Nevada. All of them were armed with batons and pistols. But the most concerning were the three skeletons who had been chasing the Doctor and Percy. They were now on the stairs, looking directly at the group.

“Elevator!” Grover said, and they bolted in the direction of the lift. But the doors opened with a _ding,_ and three more warriors stepped out. They were completely surrounded.

Then Grover, with his absolutely _brilliant_ mind, shouted, “Burrito fight!” He flung his lunch at the nearest skelton. It hit the monster and knocked his skull clean off. There was no telling what the other children had seen, but they went mad, throwing their burritos and crisps and drinks at each other, shrieking and screaming.

The skeletons attempted to aim their guns, but it was hopeless for them. Bodies, food, and drinks, flew everywhere.

In the chaos, Thalia and Percy tackled the other two skeletons on the stairs and sent they flying into the condiment table. They all then raced downstairs, burritos and other food whizzing past their heads.

“What now?” Grover asked as the group burst outside. 

“Now we run.” The Doctor suggested, but the warriors on the road were closing in from either direction. They sprinted across to the pavilion with the winged bronze statues, but that just put their backs to the mountain.

The skeletons moved forth, forming a crescent around the group. Their brethren from the café ran to join them, one still reattaching his skull, another with ketchup and mustard all over him. Two more had burritos lodged in their rib cages. They didn’t look particularly pleased about it. They drew batons and advanced.

“Four against eleven,” Zoë muttered. “And _they_ cannot die.”

“It’s been nice adventuring with you guys,” Grover said, his voice trembling. 

“Thalia,” Percy said. “Pray to your dad.”

She glared at the boy. “He never answers.”

“Just this once,” Percy pleaded. “Ask for help. I think…I think the statues can give us some luck.”

“What have you got to lose?” The Doctor pointed out. 

Thalia scowled, closing her eyes. Her lips moved in a silent prayer. 

Nothing happened. 

The skeletons closed in. Percy raised Riptide, Thalia held up her shield, Zoë pushed Grover behind her and aimed an arrow at a skeleton's head.

A shadow fell over the group, the Doctor looked up to find a massive wing shielding him. The skeletons, on the other hand, looked up just a tad too late, and in a flash of bronze, all five of them were swept aside.

The other skeletons opened fire, but the bronze angels stepped in front of the heroes and folded their wings before them. Bullets pinged off of them, and they slashed outwards, sending the skeletons flying across the road.

“Man, it feels good to stand up!” The first angel said. His voice was rusted and old.

“Will ya look at my toes?” The other said. “Holy Zeus, what were those tourists thinking?”

“Trouble!” Percy said.

“Get us out of here!” Thalia yelled.

Both angels looked down at her. “Zeus’s kid?”

“Yes!” 

“Could I get a _please,_ Miss Zeus’s Kid?” An angel asked.

“Please!”

The angels looked at each other and shrugged.

“Could use a stretch,” One decided.

The next thing they Doctor knew, one of the angels grabbed Thalia, Zoë, and the Doctor, and the other grabbed Grover and Percy, and they flew directly up, over the dam and the river, the skeleton warriors shrinking to tiny specs below them and the sound of gunfire echoing off the sides of the mountains.


	12. A Talk With Nereus

“Tell me when it’s over,” Thalia said. Her eyes were shut tightly as they flew high above the earth.

“Everything’s fine,” The Doctor promised.

“Are… are we very high?”

The Doctor looked down… ”No.” He lied.

“We are in the Sierras!” Zoë grinned. “I have hunted here before. At this speed, we should be in San Francisco in a few hours!”

“Hey, hey, Frisco!” The Doctor’s angel said. “Yo, Chuck! We could visit those guys at the Mechanic’s Monument again! They know how to party!”

”Oh, man,” the other angel said. “I am  _ so  _ there!”

“You guys have visited San Francisco?” Percy asked from the other angel.

“We automations gotta have some fun once in a while, right?” The Doctor’s statue said. “Those mechanics took us over to the de Young Museum and introduced us to these marble lady statues, see. And –”

“Hank!” Chuck cut in. “They’re kids, man.”

“Oh, right.” Hank blushed. “Back to flying.”

They sped up and the mountains fell away into hills, and then they were zipping along farmland, towns, and highways.

Grover played his pipes to pass the time. Zoë got bored and began shooting arrows at random billboards as they flew by. Every so often she saw a shop called Target, and she would peg the store’s sign with a few bulls-eyes at a hundred kilometers per hour.

Thalia kept her eyes closed the entire way. She muttered to herself a lot, as though she was praying.

“You did well back there,” The Doctor promised her. “Zeus listened.”

It was difficult to tell what she was thinking with her eyes closed.

“Maybe,” She said after a long pause. “How did you get away from those skeletons in the generator room, anyway? Percy said they cornered you guys.”

The Doctor explained to Thalia about Rachel.

“Yeah, some mortals are like that.”

“Where do you guys want to land?” Hank asked as they reached San Francisco.

“There,” Zoë suggested. “By the Embarcadero Building.”

“Good thinking,” Chuck said. “Me and Hank can blend in with the pigeons.”

The group looked at Chuck.

“Kidding,” he said. “Sheesh, can’t statues have a sense of humor?”

Fortunately for them, there wasn’t much need to blend in, as it was the early morning and not many people were around. Yes, they may have freaked out a homeless man on the ferry dock when they landed. He screamed when he saw Hank and Chuck, running off and yelling something about metal angels from Mars. 

The Doctor, Percy, Grover, Thalia, and Zoë bid farewell to Hank and Chuck, who flew off to party with some of their statue friends.

“We need to find Nereus,” The Doctor said, “That’s what Apollo said.”

“Okay, but where  _ is  _ he?” Thalia asked.

“Oh, unfortunately, he is not difficult to find.” Zoë grumbled.

“You know him?” Thalia asked.

“My mother was a sea goddess. Yes, I know him. We just need to follow the smell.”

“What smell?” Percy asked.

“Come,” she said without enthusiasm. “I will show thee.”

“He will be down there somewhere,” Zoë said, pointing down the pier where a number of homeless men huddled together in blankets, waiting for the soup kitchen to open for lunch. She had already outfitted Percy in oversized and ragged clothing so as to ‘blend in.’ “He never travels very far from the water. He likes to sun himself during the day.”

“How do I know which one is him?” Percy asked.

“Sneak up,” She said. “Act homeless. You will know him. He will smell… different.”

“Great.” Percy said. “And once I find him?” 

“Grab him,” she said, “And hold on. He will try anything to get rid of thee. Whatever he does, do not let go. Force him to tell thee about the monster.”

“We’ve got your back,” Thalia said encouragingly. 

Grover gave a big thumbs up.

Percy made his way towards the dock, pulling his hat down and stumbling as though he were about to pass out. He passed the group of men, only hesitating for a moment.

He passed a couple other homeless men, until he finally stopped at the end of the pier where a very old man was passed out in a patch of sunlight. He wore pajamas and a fuzzy bathrobe that most likely used to be white. 

Percy sat down beside him as though having collapsed in exhaustion. He muttered something as the man opened a cautious eye to look at the boy. But once Percy had stopped his grumbling, the man went back to sleep.

And then Percy jumped.

“Ahhhhhh!” The man screamed, “Help me!”

“That’s a crime!” One of the other homeless men yelled. “Kid rolling an old man like that!”

And they indeed did roll. Right down the pier, Percy’s head colliding painfully into a post.

“I don’t have any money!” The man yelled, trying to get up and run, but Percy held him down.

“I’m a half-blood! I want information!”

That just made him struggle harder. “Heroes! Why do you always pick on me?”

“Because you know everything!”

He growled and tried to shake Percy off, but the boy just squeezed tighter. They staggered towards the edge of the pier, and Percy suddenly cried, “Oh, no! Not the water!”

His plan worked perfectly. Nereus yelled in triumph and jumped off the edge. Together, they plunged into the San Francisco Bay. 

The Doctor couldn’t see much from his view, but he could see Nereus changing shape into a seal, wriggling and thrashing in the water. But Percy held on.

He then spun and expanded into a killer whale, but Percy grabbed his dorsal fin just as he burst from the water.

Tourised cried out in surprise and wonder, and Percy managed a wave to them.

Nereus plunged into the water.

Finally, Nereus and Percy emerged and Nereus collapsed on the edge of the boat dock, the old man heaving and gasping. The Doctor, Thalia, Grover, and Zoë hurrying down to join him.

“You got him!” Zoë said.

“You don’t have to sound so amazed.” Percy said.

“Oh wonderful.” Nereus moaned. “An audience for my humiliation! The normal deal, I suppose? You let me go if I answer your question?”

“I’ve got more than one qustion,” Percy said.

“Only one question per capture! That’s the rule.” Nereus said.

Percy hesitated. He wanted to ask about Annabeth. He clenched his fists, then looked back at Nereus. “All right, Nereus. Tell me where to find this terrible monster that could bring an end to the gods. The one Artemis was hunting.”

The Old Man of the Sea smiled, showing off his mossy-green teeth. 

“Oh, that’s too easy,” He said mischievously, “He’s right there.”

Nereus pointed to the water.

“Where?” Percy demanded. 

“The deal is complete!” Nereus gloated, and with a pop, he turned into a goldfish and did a backflip into the sea.

“You tricked me!” Percy yelled.

“Wait.” Thalia said, her eyes widening. “What is  _ that?”  _

“MOOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

The Doctor looked down to find the cow serpent, swimming next to the dock. She nudged Percy’s shoe.

“That’s Bessie, the Ophiotarus.” The Doctor said. 

“The Ophi-what?” Percy asked.

“It means serpent bull in Greek,” Thalia explained. “But what’s it doing here?”

_ “Percy’s my protector.”  _ Bessie said as Grover translated,  _ “I’m running from the bad people. They are close.” _

“Wait,” Zoë said, looking at Percy and the Doctor. “You know this cow?”

Percy impatiently told them the story of how he saved Bessie from the net of a sunken fishing boat.

Thalia shook her head in disbelief. “And you just forgot to mention this before?”

“Well…yeah.” Percy said awkwardly.

“I am a fool,” Zoë said, looking at the Doctor, “As were you. I know this story.”

The Doctor stared at her, and suddenly, it clicked, “The War of Titans…”

“My father told me this tale, thousands of years ago.” Zoë said. “This is the beast we’re looking for.”

“Bessie?” Percy raised his eyebrow. “But… he’s too cute. He couldn’t destroy the world.”

“That is how we were wrong,” Zoë said. “We’ve been anticipating a huge dangerous monster, but the Ophiotaurus does not bring down the gods that way. He must be sacrificed.”

“MMMMMM,” Bessie lowed.

“She doesn’t like the S-word.” The Doctor translated.

“How could anyone hurt her?” Percy asked, patting a trembling Bessie on the head. “She’s harmless.”

The Doctor nodded sadly. “But there is power in killing innocence. Terrible power.”

Zoë nodded in agreement. “The Fates ordained a prophecy eons ago, when this creature was born. They said that whoever killed the Ophiotaurus and sacrificed its entrails to fire would have the power to destroy the gods.”

“MMMMMM!” Bessie groaned.

“Um,” Grover said before the Doctor could, “Maybe we could avoid talking about  _ entrails,  _ too.”

Thalia stared at the cow serpent with wonder. “The power to destroy the gods… how? I mean, what would happen?”

“No one knows,” Zoë said. “The first time, during the Titan war, the ophiotaurus was in fact slain by a giant ally of the Titans, but thy father, Zeus, sent an eagle to snatch the entrails away before they could be tossed into the fire. It was a close call. Now, after three thousand years, the Ophiotaurus is reborn.”

Thalia sat down on the dock, stretching out her hand. Bessie went directly to her, shivering as Thalia placed her hand on the cow serpent’s head. But there was something in her eyes, a glint of ambition. It unnerved the Doctor.

“We have to protect her.” Percy said, “If Luke gets ahold of her –”

“Luke wouldn’t hesitate,” Thalia muttered. “The power to overthrow Olympus. That’s… that’s huge.”

“Yes, it is my dear,” said a man’s voice in a thick French accent. “And it is a power  _ you  _ shall unleash.” The Doctor spun around as the Ophitotaurus made a whimpering sound and submerged. 

Standing behind them were the two-coloured gleaming eyes of Dr. Thorn.

“This is just pairfff-ect.” Dr. Thorn purred.

The manticore was wearing a ratty black trench coat over his Westover Hall uniform, which was torn and stained. His military haircut had grown out spiked and greasy. He hadn’t shaved recently, so his face was covered in silver stubble.

“Long ago, the gods banished me to Persia,” the manticore said. “I was forced to scrounge for food on the edges of the world, hiding in forests, devouring insignificant human farmers for my meals. I never got to fight any great heroes. I was not feared and admired in the old stories! But now that will change. The Titans shall honour me, and I shall feast on the flesh of half-bloods!”

On either side of him stood two armed security men, some of the mortal mercenaries from D.C. Two more stood on the next boat dock over, just in case there was an attempt to escape. There were tourists all around, walking down the waterfront, shopping at the pier above, but they would not stop the manticore from acting.

“Where…where are the skeletons?” Percy inquired.

Dr. Thorn sneered. “I do not need those foolish undead! The General thinks I am worthless? He will change his mind when I defeat you myself!”

The Doctor laughed. “They won’t worship you. You’re being used! You’re a pawn.”

“Yeah, and we beat you once before!” Percy added.

“Ha!” The manticore grinned evilly, “You could barely fight me with a goddess on your side. And, alas…that goddess is preoccupied at the moment. There will be no help for you now.”

Zoë notched an arrow and aimed it directly at Dr. Thorn’s head. The guards on either side raised their guns.

“Zoë,” the Doctor said warningly.

Zoë huffed and dropped it. 

“Good,” the manticore purred, “Listen to the boy. It would be a shame to kill you before you witnessed Thalia’s great victory.”

“What are you talking about?” Thalia demanded, her spear and shield at the ready.

“Surely it is clear,” the manticore said. “This is your moment. This is why Lord Kronos brought you back to life. You will sacrifice the Ophiotaurus. You will bring its entrails to the sacred fire on the mountain. You will gain unlimited power. And for your sixteenth birthday, you will overthrow Olympus.”

“Thalia,” The Doctor whispered, “You have to resist the temptation.”

Thalia was stunned, frozen in place.

“You know it is the right choice,” Dr. Thorn told her. “Your friend Luke recognized it. You shall be reunited with him. You shall rule the world together under the auspices of the Titans. Your father abandoned you, Thalia. He cares nothing for you. And now you shall gain power over him. Crush the Olympians underfoot, as they deserve. Call the beast! It will come to you. Use your spear!”

“Thalia,” The Doctor repeated softly, “You have to resist it.”

She looked at the Doctor, her eyes dazed and uncertain. “I…I don’t –”

“Grover,” Percy breathed from behind the Time Lord, and Grover raised his pipes to his mouth, playing a quick riff.

“Stop him!” The manticore yelled.

The guards had been too busy targeting Zoë, and before they could figure out that the kid with the pipes was the bigger problem, the wooden planks at their feet sprouted new branches and tangled their legs. Zoë let loose two quick arrows that exploded at their feet in clouds of sulfurous yellow smoke.

The guards began coughing. Dr. Thorn shot spines in the group’s direction, but they richoched off Percy’s coat.

“Dive deep and stay down!” The Doctor called to Bessie, who disappeared from view immediately.

“The cow…” Thalia muttered, still in a daze. 

The Doctor grabbed her, pulling her along as they sprinted up the stairs to the shopping center on the pier. They dashed around the corner of the nearest store. The Doctor could still hear the manticore shouting at his minions, “Get them!” Tourists screamed as the guards shot blindly into the air.

The heroes scrambled to the end of the pier, hiding behind a small kiosk full of souvenir crystals – wind chimes, small dream catchers, etc. – glittering in the sunlight. There was a water fountain beside them, and down below, a number of sea lions were sunning themselves on the rocks. The entirety of San Francisco Bay was spread out before them: the Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, and the green hills.

“Go over the side!” Zoë instructed Percy. “You can escape in the sea, Percy. Call on thy father for help. Maybe you can save the Ophiotaurus.”

“I won’t leave you guys,” Percy said. “We fight together.”

“We’ll be fine.” The Doctor assured him. “We need to get word to camp.”

“Get word to camp,” Percy suddenly murmured, “Good idea.” He uncapped Riptide and slashed off the top of the water fountain. Water burst out and sprayed everywhere.

Thalia gasped as the water hit her, seemingly clearing the fog from her dazed eyes. “Are you crazy?”

“Oh, Percy, you’re brilliant.” The Doctor grinned as Grover fished a coin from his pocket. He threw the golden drachma into the rainbows created by the mist and yelled, “Oh goddess, accept my offering!”

The mist rippled.

“Camp Half Blood.” Percy said.

And there, shimmering in the Mist beside them, was Dionysus. He was rummaging through the refrigerator, looking up lazily at the children. “Do you mind?”

“Where’s Chiron?” Percy shouted.

“How rude.” Dionysus took a swig from a jug of grape juice. “Is that how you say hello?”

“Hello,” Percy amended. “We’re about to die! Where’s Chiron?”

Dionysus seemed to consider this for a moment. “About to die,” he mused, “How exciting. I’m afraid Chiron isn’t here. Would you like me to take a message?”

“We’re dead.” Percy breathed.

“Listen,” The Doctor said, explaining to the god about the Ophiotaurus. 

“Mmm.” He studied the contents of his refrigerator. “So that’s it. I see.”

“You don’t even care!” Percy screamed. “You’d just as soon watch us die!”

“Lord Dionysus,” The Doctor said calmly, “Please help us.”

“There!” The manticore suddenly screamed, and then the group was surrounded. The manticore removed his coat and transformed into his true self, his lion claws extended and his spiky tail bristling with poison barbs. “Excellent. Alone, without any  _ real  _ help.” He gave Dionysus a look. “Wonderful.”

Zoë readied her arrows, Grover lifted his pipes, Thalia raised her shield, Percy raised Riptide.

The manticore grinned. “Spare the daughter of Zeus. She will join us soon enough. Kill the others.”

The men raised their guns, and a rush of lightheadedness blew over them. The sunlight tinged with purple and the air smelt of grapes and sour wine.

_ SNAP! _

It was the sound of madness. One guard put his pistol between his teeth and ran around on all fours. Two others dropped their guns and began waltzing with each other. The fourth began clogging.

“No!” Dr. Thorn screamed. “I will deal with you myself!”

His tail bristled, but the planks beneath his paws erupted into grape vines, which immediately began wrapping around the monster’s body, sprouting new leaves and clusters of green baby grapes that ripened in seconds as the manticore shrieked, until he was engulfed in a mass of vines, leaves, and full clusters of purple grapes. Finally, the grapes stopped shivering. The manticore was gone.

“Well,” Dionysus said, closing his refrigerator. “That was fun.”

“Thank you.” The Doctor said sincerely.

“How could you… How did you –” Percy stared at the god.

“The mortals will come out of it.” Dionysus said, ignoring Percy, “Too much explaining to do if I made their condition permanent. I hate writing reports to Father.” Dionysus then stared resentfully at Thalia. “I hope you learned your lesson, girl. It isn’t easy to resist power, is it?”

Thalia turned pink and looked at her feet.

“Mr. D,” Grover said in amazement. “You…you saved us.”

“Mmm. Don’t make me regret it, satyr. Now get going, Percy Jackson. I’ve bought you a few hours at most, and Doctor, you’d better keep the Ophiotaurus safe, that’s not my problem.”

“But where do we go?” Percy asked.

Dionysus looked at Zoë. “Oh, I think the huntress knows. You must enter at sunset today, you know, or all is lost. Now goodbye. My pizza is waiting.”

“Mr. D,” Percy said. The god raised his eyebrow. “You called me by my right name. The Doctor too, you called me Percy Jackson. “

“I most certainly did not, Peter Johnson. Now off with you!”

Dionysus waved his hand, and his image disappeared in the mist.

All around, the manticore’s minions were still acting completely mad.

“Where do we go?” The Doctor asked Zoë. Her face was the colour of the fog. She pointed across the bay, past the Golden Gate. In the distance, a single mountain rose up above the cloud layer.

“The garden of my sisters,” she said. “I must go home.”


	13. The Mountain of Atlas

“We will never make it,” Zoë said. “We are moving too slow. But we cannot leave the Ophiotaurus.”

Bessie swam beside Percy as the group jogged along the waterfront. They’d left the shopping center pier far behind. They were heading towards the Golden Gate Bridge, but it was still very far away. The sun was already dipping in the west.

“I don’t get it,” Percy said. “Why do we have to get there at sunset?”

“The Hesperides are the nymphs of the sunset,” Zoë said. “We can only enter their garden as day changes to night.”

“What happens if we miss it?”

“Tomorrow is the winter solstice,” The Doctor said, “If we miss sunset tonight, we would have to wait until tomorrow evening.”

“And by then, the Olympian Council will be over.” Zoë said. “We must free Lady Artemis tonight.”

“We need a car,” Thalia said.

“But what about Bessie?” Percy asked.

Grover stopped in his tracks. “I’ve got an idea! The Ophiotaurus can appear in different bodies of water, right?”

“Well, yeah,” Percy said. “I mean, she was in Long Island Sound. Then she just popped into the water at Hoover Dam. And now she’s here.”

“So maybe we could coax her back to Long Island Sound,” Grover said. “Then Chiron could help us get her to Olympus.”

“But she was following _me,_ ” Percy said. “If I’m not there, would she know where she’s going?”

“I…I can show her.” Grover said. “I’ll go with her.”

“Grover –”

“No, Doctor you need to stay with them. You’re a lot more helpful than me.”

He bent down and whispered something in Bessie’s ear. Bessie shivered, then agreed to let Grover accompany her.

“The blessing of the Wild,” Grover said. “That should help with safe passage. Percy, pray to your dad, too. See if he will grant us safe passage through the seas.”

Percy nodded, gazing at the sea. “Dad, help us. Get the Ophiotaurus and Grover safely to camp. Protect them at sea.”

“A prayer like that needs a sacrifice,” Thalia said. “Something big.”

Percy hesitated for a moment, then shed his lion skin coat.

“Percy,” Grover said. “Are you sure? That lion skin… that’s really helpful. Heracles used it.”

“If I’m going to survive,” Percy said, “It won’t be because I’ve got a lion-skin cloak. I’m not Heracles.” He threw it into the bay. It turned back into a golden lion skin, flashing in the light. It then began to sink beneath the waves, dissolving into sunlight on the water.

The sea breeze picked up.

Grover took a deep breath. “Well, no time to lose.” He jumped in the water and immediately began to sink. Bessie glided beside him and let Grover take hold of her neck.

“Be careful,” the Doctor told him.

“We will,” Grover said. “Okay, um…Bessie? We’re going to Long Island. It’s east. Over that way.”

Bessie lurched forth, beginning to submerge. Grover said, “I can’t breathe underwater! Just thought I’d mention –”

Under they went. The Doctor hoped Poseidon would take care of the little things like breathing.

“Well, that is one roblem addressed,” Zoë said. “But how can we get to my sisters’ garden?”

“Thalia’s right,” Percy said. “We need a car. But there’s nobody to help us here. Unless we, uh, borrowed one.”

“Wait,” Thalia said. She began to rifle through her rucksack. “There _is_ somebody in San Francisco who can help us. I’ve got the address here somewhere.”

“Who?” Percy asked.

Thalia pulled out a crumpled piece of notebook paper and held it up. “Professor Chase. Annabeth’s dad.”

Professor Chase had sandy-coloured hair just like Annabeth did. His brown eyes were intense, but it looked as if he’d not shaved in a couple days. He wore an old-fashioned aviator’s cap and goggles. “Hello,” He greeted. “Are you delivering my airplanes?”

The four heroes exchanged a wary look.

“Um, no, sir,” Percy said.

“Drat.” He said. “I need three mroe Sopwith Camels.”

“We’re friends of Annabeth.” The Doctor explained quickly.

“Annabeth?” He straightened, “Is she all right? HAs something happened?”

“That’s what we’re here for,” the Doctor said, “We’re on a rescue mission, and we need your help.”

He took off his cap. “You’d better come in.”

LEGO robots littered the stairs and two cats napped comfortably on the sofa in the living room. The coffee table was stacked with magazines, and a winter coat for a small child was spread on the floor. The entire house smelled of fresh-baked chocolate-chip cookies, and there was jazz music coming from the kitchen. It was a messy, happy kind of home.

“Dad!” a little boy screamed. “He’s taking apart my robots!”

“Bobby,” Dr. Chase called absently, “Don’t take apart your brother’s robots!”

 _“I’m_ Bobby,” the little boy protested. “He’s Matthew!”

“Matthew,” Dr. Chase called, “Don’t take apart your brother’s robots!”

“Okay, Dad!”

Dr. Chase turned to the group of heroes. “We’ll go upstairs to my study. This way.”

“Honey?” A woman called. Annabeth’s stepmother appeared in the living room, wiping her hands on a dish towel. She was a lovely looking Asian woman with red highlighted hair tied in a bun.

“Who are our guests?” She asked.

“Oh,” Doctor Chase said. “This is…”

“John Smith.” The Doctor said, handing her the psychic paper, “And this is Percy, Thalia, and Zoë.”

“Oh, you’re from Camp Half-Blood.” She said quietly, pursing her lips and looking concerned. “This must be about Annabeth.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Percy said.

“All right. Go up to the study. I’ll bring you some food.” She smiled.

Upstairs, they walked into Dr. Chase’s study only to find the room wall-to-wall with books and war toys. There was a large table with miniature tanks and soldiers fighting along a blue painted river with hills and false trees and such. Biplanes hung on strings from the ceiling, tilted in angles to look as though they were in a dogfight.

Dr. Chase smiled. “Yes. The Third Battle of Ypres. I’m writing a paper, you see, on the use of Sopwith Camels to strafe enemy lines. I believe they played a much greater role than they’ve been given credit for.”

“The German lines were further from the river,” Zoë said, pointing to his battlefield.

The Doctor nodded in agreement.

“How do you know that?” Dr. Chase stared at her.

“I was there,” She said matter-of-factly. “Artemis wanted to show us how horrible war was, the way mortal men fight each other. And how foolish, too. The battle was a complete waste.”

Dr. Chase opened his mouth in shock. “You –”

“She’s a Hunter, sir,” Thalia said. “But that’s not why we’re here. We need –”

“You saw the Sopwith Camels?” Dr. Chase said. “How many were there? What formations did they fly?”

“Sir,” Thalia broke in again. “Annabeth is in danger.”

That got his attention. He set the biplane down.

“Of course,” he said. “Tell me everything.”

The Doctor did a speed-run of everything, and once he’d finished, Dr. Chase collapsed in his leather recliner, lacing his hands. “My poor brave Annabeth. We must hurry.”

“Sir, we need transportation to Mount Tamalpais,” Zoë said. “And we need it immediately.”

“I’ll drive you. Hmm, it would be faster to fly in my Camel, but it only seats two.”

“Woah, you have an actual biplane?” Percy said.

“Down at Crissy Field,” Dr. Chase said proudly. “That’s the reason I had to move here. My sponsor is a private collector with some of the finest World War I relics in the world. He let me restore the Sopwith Camel –”

“Sir,” Thalia said. “Just a car would be great. And it might be better if we went without you. It’s too dangerous.”

Dr. Chase frowned uncomfortably. “Now wait a minute, young lady. Annabeth is my daughter. Dangerous or not, I…I can’t just –”

“Snacks,” Mrs. Chase announced. She pushed through the door with a tray full of peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwiches (How very American) and Cokes and cookies fresh from the oven. Thalia and Percy inhaled a number of cookies. 

“I can drive.” The Doctor said.

“Annabeth is in danger,” Dr. Chase said. “On Mount Tam. I would drive them, but…apparently it’s no place for mortals.”

Mrs. Chase hesitated, then nodded. “Then they’d better get going.”

“Right!” Dr. Chase jumped up and began patting his pockets. “My keys…”

His wife sighed. “Frederick, honestly. You’d lose your head if it weren’t wrapped inside your aviator hat. The keys are hanging on the peg by the front door.”

“Right!” Dr. Chase said.

Zoë grabbed a sandwich. “Thank you both. We should go. _Now._ ” 

The Doctor, Percy, Thalia, and Zoë hustled out the door and down the stairs, the Chases directly behind them.

“Mr. Smith,” Mrs. Chase called as they were leaving, “Tell Annabeth…Tell her she still has a home here, will you? Remind her of that.”

“I will.” The Doctor promised.

They ran out to the yellow VW convertible parked in the driveway. The sun was descending, they had less than an hour.

“Can’t this thing go any faster?” Thalia demanded.

Zoë glared at her. “He cannot control the traffic.”

“You both sound like my mother.” Percy said.

“Shut up!” The both said in unison.

The Doctor weaved in and out of traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge. The sun was sinking on the horizon when they finally got into Martin County and exited the highway.

The roads were insanely narrow, winding through forests, up the sides of hills, and around the edges of steep ravines. The Doctor did not slow at all. 

“Why does everything smell like cough drops?” Percy asked.

“Eucalyptus,” The Doctor and Zoë corrected at the same time. Zoë pointed to the trees around them.

“The stuff koala bears eat?”

“And monsters,” Zoë said. “They love chewing the leaves. Especially dragons.”

“Do dragons chew eucalyptus leaves?” Percy asked.

“Believe me,” Zoë said, “If you had a dragon breath, you would chew eucalyptus too.”

They drove on for a bit. The Doctor talking mindlessly about star systems.

“So that’s the Mountain of Despair?” Percy asked as he looked at Mount Tamalpais.

“Yes.” Zoë said tightly.

“Why do they call it that?”

“After the war between the Titans and the gods, many of the Titans were punished and imprisoned.” Zoë explained after a moment’s hesitation. “Kronos was sliced to pieces and thrown into Tartarus. Kronos’s right-hand man, the general of his forces, was imprisoned up there, on the summit, just beyond the Garden of the Hesperides.”

The clouds seemed to be swirling around the mountain’s peak. “The mist is very strong here.” The Doctor observed. “We have to concentrate.”

“The magical kind or the natural kind?” Percy asked.

“Both.”

The gray clouds swirled even thicker over the mountain, and the four continued driving directly towards them. They were out of the forest now, into wide open spaces of cliffs, grass, rocks, and fogs.

“Look!” Percy suddenly shouted, pointing at the ocean.

“What?” Thalia asked. 

“A big white ship,” Percy said. “Docked near the beach. It looked like a cruise ship.”

Her eyes widened. “Luke’s ship?”

Percy nodded.

“We will have company, then,” Zoë said grimly. “Kronos’s army.”

“Stop the car.” Thalia suddenly said. “NOW!”

Without questioning it, the Doctor slammed on the brakes. The yellow VW spun twice before coming to a stop at the edge of the cliff.

“Out!” Thalia opened the door and the four of them jumped out. The next second: _BOOOM!_

Lightning flashed, and Dr. Chase’s Volkswagen erupted. They probably would have been killed by the shrapnel had Thalia not lifted her shield to protect them.

 _“One shall perish by a parent’s hand,”_ Thalia muttered. “Curse him. He would destroy me? _Me?_ ”

“Thalia, it couldn’t have been about you. You would have died. Prophecies are difficult to change. It can’t have been him.”

“Who, then?”

“Come on, we’re nearly there.” Zoë said.

Sheets of fog were drifting directly across the road. Zoë stepped into one of them, and when the fog passed, she was no longer there.

“It’s just the mist,” The Doctor assured Percy and Thalia, “Just keep moving forwards.”

When the fog finally cleared, they were still on the side of the mountain, but the road was dirt, the grass was thicker, the sunset made a bloodred slash across the sea, and the summit of the mountain was closer, swirling with storm clouds and the Doctor could feel the raw power emanating off of it. THere was only one path to the top, directly in front of them. It led through a lush meadow of shadows and flowers: the garden of twilight.

The garden was just as beautiful as he had remembered it. The grass shimmered with silvery evening light, the flowers were such brilliant colours that they almost glowed in the dark. Stepping stones of polished black marble led around either side of the massive apple tree, every bough glittering with golden apples. 

“The apples of immortality,” Thalia said, looking at the fruit, “Hera’s wedding gift from Zeus.”

Beneath the tree was a massive dragon. The serpent’s body was thick and glinting with coppery scales. He had hundreds of heads that lay curled up in a mound on the grass. 

“Doctor?” Seven figures shimmered into existence, seven young women who looked very much like Zoë. They all wore white Greek chitons, their skin was like caramel, silky black hair tumbled loose around their shoulders.

“Sisters,” Zoë said.

“We do not see any sister,” Alkyone said, “We see two half-bloods, a hunter, and our dear Lord of Time.”

“Behave, sister.” Elektra chastised. 

“We must get through.” The Doctor told the girls, “We must save Artemis.”

“Oh, come on, Doctor,” Taygete grinned, walking up to him and running a hand through his hair, “We could have so much more fun here.”

“Taygete,” The Doctor rolled his eyes. “Come on.”

“We may let you pass,” Kelaino said, to the Doctor, “But they must return to where they came.”

The Doctor rolled his eyes. “What if I bring you some more of the crystals from Cylek?”

“Ooh, the pretty purple ones?” Merope purred, “Very well.”

“Good, allons-y.” The Doctor said, he ran a hand over the dragon. “‘Ello, Ladon,”

The dragon nustled up to the Doctor’s side.

“Maia,” The Doctor said, looking at the girl, “It’s now or never.”

Maia hesitated. She walked over to Zoë, “I know it means nothing to you, but for the sake of clearing my conscience, I am indeed sorry for what happened.”

“You’re right.” Zoë said, “It means nothing.” But the glint in her eye was not missed by Maiva.

At the top of the mountain were ruins, blocks of black granite and marble. Broken columns, statues of bronze that looked half-melted.

“The ruins of Mount Othrys,” Thalia whispered in awe.

“Yes,” Zoë said. “It was not here before. This is bad.”

“What’s Mount Othrys?” Percy asked. 

“The mountain fortress of the Titans,” Zoë said. “In the first war, Olympus and Othrys were the two rival capitals of the world. Othrys was blasted to pieces.”

“But… how is it here?” Percy asked.

Thalia looked around cautiously as they picked their way through the rubble, past blocks of marble and broken archways. “It moves in the same way that Olympus moves. It always exists on the edges of civilization. But the fact that it is here, on _this_ mountain, is not good.”

“Why?” Percy asked.

“This is Atlas’s mountain,” Zoë said. “Where he holds –” She froze, her voice was ragged wth despair. “Where he used to hold up the sky.”

The group had reached the summit. A few yards ahead, gray clouds swirled in a heavy vortex, making a funnel cloud that nearly touched the mountaintop, but instead rested on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old girl with auburn hair and tattered silvery dress: Artemis, her legs bound to the rock with celestial bronze chains. 

“My lady!” Zoë rushed towards her.

“Stop!” Artemis said. “It is a trap. You must leave now.”

Her voice was strained and she was drenched in sweat. 

Zoë was crying. She ran fourth despite the goddess’s protests and tugged at the chains.

A booming voice spoke from behind: “Ah, how touching.”

The Doctor turned. The General was standing there in his brown silk suit. The moment the Doctor saw him, he knew exactly who he was. At his side were Luke and a half dozen dracaenae bearing the golden sarcophagus of Kronos. Annabeth stood at Luke’s side, her hands cuffed behind her back, her mouth gagged, and a sword pointed at her throat.

“Luke,” Thalia snarled. “Let her go.”

Luke’s smile was weak and pale. “That is the General’s decision, Thalia. But it’s good to see you again.”

Thalia spat at him.

The General chuckled. “So much for old friends. And you, Zoë. It’s been a long time. How is my little traitor? I will enjoy killing you.”

“Do not respond,” Artemis groaned. “Do not challenge him.”

“Atlas.” The Doctor growled.

“Doctor,” Atlas said glancing at the Doctor, “Oh, fascinating boy, but I will kill you presently, as soon as I deal with this wretched girl.”

“You will not touch her.” The Doctor said.

“You have no right to interfere,” Atlas sneered. “This is a family matter.”

Percy frowned. “A family matter?”

“Percy,” Zoë said bleakly, “Atlas is my father.”


	14. The Battle For Olympus

“Let Artemis go,” Zoë demanded. 

Atlas walked closer to the chained goddess. “Perhaps you’d like to take the sky for her, then? Be my guest.”

Zoë opened her mouth to speak, but Artemis said, “No! Do not offer, Zoë! I forbid you.”

Atlas smirked. He knelt beside Artemis, attempting to touch her face, but the goddess bit at him, nearly taking off his fingers.

“Hoo-hoo,” Atlas chuckled. “You see, daughter? Lady Artemis likes her new job. I think I will have all the Olympians take turns carrying my burden, once Lord Kronos rules again, and this is the center of our palace. It will teach those weaklings some humility.”

The Doctor looked at Annabeth. Her blonde hair was now streaked with gray. 

“From holding the sky,” Thalia muttered, “The weight should’ve killed her.”

“She’s stronger than they thought.”

“I don’t understand,” Percy said. “Why can’t Artemis just let go of the sky?”

Atlas laughed. “How little you understand, young one. This is the point where the sky and the earth first met, where Ouranos and Gaia first brought forth their mighty children, the Titans. The sky still yearns to embrace the earth. Someone must hold it at bay, or else it would crush down upon this place, instantly flattening the mountain and everything within a hundred leagues. Once you have taken the burden, there is no escape.” Atlas smiled. “Unless someone else takes it from you.”

He approached the group, studying Thalia, Percy, and the Doctor. “So these are the best heroes of the age, eh? Not much of a challenge.”

“Don’t underestimate that which you don’t know.” The Doctor growled, the rage of the Time Lords flickering through his eyes.

“Intriguing,” Atlas said. “But have the gods taught you nothing, children? An immortal does not fight a mere mortal directly. It is beneath our dignity. I will have Luke crush you instead.”

“So you’re another coward.” Percy said.

Atlas’s eyes glowed with hatred. With difficulty, he turned his attention to Thalia.

“As for you, daughter of Zeus, it seems Luke was wrong about you.”

“I wasn’t wrong,” Luke managed. He looked terribly weak, and he spoke every word as though it were painful. “Thalia, you can still join us. Call the Ophiotaurus. It will come to you. Look!”

He waved his hand, and beside them, a pool of water appeared: a pond ringed in black marble, big enough for the Ophiotaurus. 

“Thalia, call the Ophiotaurus,” Luke persisted. “And you will be more powerful than the gods.”

“Luke…” Thalia’s voice was full of pain. “What happened to you?”

“Don’t you remember all those times we talked? All those times we cursed the gods? Our fathers have done nothing for us. They have no right to rule the world!”

Thalia shook her head. “Free Annabeth. Let her go.”

“If you join me,” Luke promised, “it can be like old times. The three of us together. Fighting for a better world. Please, Thalia, if you don’t agree…” His voice faltered. “It’s my last chance. He will use the other way if you don’t agree. Please.”

“Thalia,” The Doctor said, “Resist him. There is another way.”

Behind Luke, the golden sarcophagus began to glow. The mist formed images around them: Black marble walls rising, the ruins becoming whole, a terrible and beautiful place rising around them, made of fear and shadow. 

“We will raise Mount Othrys right here,” Luke promised, in a voice so strained it was hardly his. “Once more, it will be stronger and greater than Olympus. Look, Thalia. We are not weak.”

He pointed towards the ocean. Marching up the side of the mountain, from the beach where the  _ Princess Andromeda  _ was docked, and a great army. Dracaenae and Laestrygonians, monsters and half-bloods, hellhounds, harpies, and other such things. The entire ship must have been emptied, as there were hundreds of them. In a few minutes, they would all be at the summit.

“This is only a taste of what is to come,” Luke said. “Soon we will be ready to storm Camp Half-Blood. And after that, Olympus itself. All we need is your help.”

For a terrible moment, Thalia hesitated. She gazed at Luke, her eyes full of pain, as though the only thing she wanted in the world was to believe him. Then she leveled her spear. “You aren’t Luke. I don’t know you anymore.”

“Yes, you do, Thalia,” he pleaded. “Please. Don’t make me…Don’t make  _ him  _ destroy you.”

The Doctor exchanged a look with Thalia, Zoë, Percy, and Annabeth.

“Now.” Percy said.

Together, they charged.

Luke went directly for Luke. THe power of her shield was so great that his bodyguard fled in a panic, dropping the golden coffin and leaving the boy alone. But despite his sickly appearance, uke was still quick with his sword. He snarled and counterattacked. When his sword hit Thalia’s shield, a ball of lightning erupted between them, frying the air with yellow tendrils of power.

As for Percy, he attacked the Titan Lord, Atlas, swinging his sword. Atlas knocked him aside with the shaft of his javelin. Percy fled through the air and slammed into a black wall. It wasn’t Mist anymore. The palace was rising brick by brick.

“Fool!” Atlas screamed gleefully, swatting aside one of Zoë’s arrows. “Did you think, simply because you could challenge that petty war god, that you could stand up to  _ me _ ?”

Percy swung his sword, but Atlas’s javelin caught the boy in the chest and sent him flying. He slammed into the ground, and his sword was gone. 

_ When you need it most, your sword will fail you.  _

Ares’s curse.

“Artemis.” The Doctor ran to the goddess. “ _ ‘The Titan’s curse must one withstand.’  _ The Doctor recited, I need you to give me the sky.”

“No,” Artemis said stubbornly. Her forehead was beaded with metallic sweat. “You don’t know what you’re asking –”

“I know exactly what I’m asking,” The Doctor said, “And you know that I’m the only one here who stands a chance.”

The Doctor buzzed the sonic and unlocked her chains. He then stepped next to her and braced himself on one knee, holding up his hands, and touched the could, heavy clouds. For a moment, the Doctor and the goddess held the weight together. It was the heaviest thing the Doctor had ever felt, and that was seriously saying something. 

Artemis slipped out from under the burden and the Doctor held it alone.

The Time Lord gasped as every muscle in his body turned to fire, his bones felt as though they were about to break. Everything hurt and black dots littered his vision. He closed his eyes, thinking of Bianca. She was dead. It was all his fault. 

The battle went on, sounds littered, but they were all disconnected, he couldn’t concentrate. Sweat dropped down his body, his hands were slippery, his shoulders screamed in agony. He felt as though his spine was about to snap. Golden energy began to slide from his fingers and embrace him.

“Doctor.” The Doctor opened his eyes to see Percy standing beside him.

“Percy, no!” But the boy already placed his hands on the sky. Together they bore the weight. 

“Doctor, they need you out there,”

“Percy –”

But Percy was ready, he swept his legs under the Doctor’s, causing the Time Lord to hit the ground, and Percy was holding up the weight. “Take Riptide. You’re way more important than me!”

The Doctor grabbed the sword, knowing that there was no time to argue, his legs ached and he could barely stand, but he charged at Atlas, joining Artemis in the fight.

“You fight well for a girl.” Atlas laughed at Artemis. “But you are no match for me.”

Atas’s javelin swept around and knocked Artemis’s legs off the ground. She fell, and Atlas brought up his Javelin tip for the kill.

“No!” Zoë screamed, leaping between her father and Artemis, shooting an arrow straight into the Titan’s forehead, where it lodged. Atlas bellowed in rage, sweeping aside his daughter with the back of his hand, sending her flying into the black rocks.

Atlas turned to Artemis with a look of triumph. Artemis seemed to be wounded. She didn’t get up. 

“The first blood in a new war,” Atlas gloated. He stabbed downwards, but the Doctor slashed through, blocking the javelin and flipping it into his own hands. It hit the earth right beside Artemis, who pulled backwards, using the javelin like a lever, kicking the Titan Lord and sending him flying over her. Percy must have seen the Titan Lord coming down atop him and realized what would happen. He loosened his grip on the sky, and just as Atlas slammed into him, Percy allowed himself to be pushed out of the way and rolled.

The weight of the sky dropped once more onto Atlas’s back, nearly smashing him flat until he managed to get to his knees, struggling to get out from under the crushing weight of the sky. But it was too late. 

_ “Noooooo!”  _ He bellowed.  _ “Not again!” _

Atlas was trapped once more under his old burden.

Percy attempted to stand, but fell back down.

Thalia backed Luke to the edge of the cliff, but still they fought on, directly beside the golden coffin. Thalia had tears in her eyes. Luke had a bloody slash across his chest and his pale face glistened with sweat.

He lunged at Thalia, and she slammed him with her shield. Luke’s sword spun out from his hands and clattered to the rocks. Thalia put her spear point to his throat.

For a moment, there was silence.

“Well?” Luke asked. He tried to hide it, but there was fear that laced his voice.

“Thalia,” The Doctor said calmly, the girl was trembling with fury. “Thalia, don’t kill him.”

“He’s a traitor,” Thalia said. “A traitor!”

“You don’t have to do that,” The Doctor said, “It’s not worth it. It’s  _ never  _ worth it. There is another way.”

“Is that what you want, Thalia?” Luke sneered. “To go back to Olympus in triumph? To please your dad?”

Thalia hesitated, and Luke made a desperate grab for her spear.

“No!” Annabeth shouted, but it was much too late. Without thinking, Thalia kicked Luke away. He lost his balance, terror on his face, and then he fell.

“Luke!” Annabeth screamed.

They hurried to the cliff’s edge. Below them, the army from the  _ Princess Andromeda  _ had stopped in amazement. They were staring at Luke’s broken form on the rocks.

One of the giants looked up and growled, “Kill them!”

Thalia was stiff with grief, tears streaming down her cheeks. The Doctor pulled her back as a wave of javelins sailed over their heads. They hurried for the rocks, ignoring the curses and threats of Atlas as they passed.

“Artemis!” The Doctor yelled.

The goddess looked up, her face grief-stricken. Zoë lay in the goddess’s arms. She was breathing shallowly.

“Head wound.” Artemis said. The back of her head was caked with blood from where she had collided with the wall.

“The stars,” Zoë murmured. “I cannot see them.”

No one moved. Grief hung in the air. The army of Kronos was just below the rise. Even Artemis was too shocked to stir. They may have met their doom right there, but there was the sound of a biplane in the distance.

Just as the army of monsters came over the hill, a Sopwith Camel swooped down out of the sky.

“Get away from my daughter!” Dr. Chase called down, and his machine guns burst to life, peppering the ground with bullet holes and startling the entire group of monsters into scattering.

“Dad?” Yelled Annabeth in disbelief.

“Run!” He called back, his voice growing fainter as the biplane swooped by.

This shook Artemis out from her grief. She stared up at the antique plane, which was now banking around for another strafe.

“A brave man,” Artemis said with grudging approval. “Come. We must get Zoë away from here.”

She raised her hunting horn to her lips, and its clear sound echoed down the valleys of Marin. Zoë’s eyes were fluttering.

“Hang in there,” The Doctor said soothingly. “It’s gonna be all right. You know it will. Everything’s going to be okay.”

The Sopwith Camel swooped down again. A few giants threw javelins, and one flew straight between the wings of the plane, but the machine guns blazed on. The first row of monsters wailed as the machine gun’s volley blew them into sulphurous yellow powder.

“That’s…my dad!” Annabeth said in amazement.

They didn’t have time to admire his flying, though, as the monsters were already recovering from their surprise, and Dr. Chase would be in trouble soon.

Just then, the moonlight brightened, and a silver chariot appeared from the sky, drawn by deer. It landed right beside Artemis.

“Get in,” She said. 

Annabeth, Thalia, Percy, the Doctor, and Artemis, carrying Zoë, boarded the chariot. Zoë was wrapped in a blanket as Artemis pulled the reins and the chariot sped away from the mountain, straight into the air.

Seeing the children safely away, Dr. Chase turned his biplane and followed the chariot.

Behind them, the army of Kronos roared in anger as they gathered on the summit of Mount Tamalpais, but the loudest sound was the voice of Atlas, bellowing curses against the gods as he struggled under the weight of the sky.


	15. A Flight Back East

The chariot landed at Crissy Field after nightfall.

As soon as Dr. Chase stepped out from his Sopwith Camel, Annabeth ran him and gave him a massive hug. “Dad! You flew… you shot… oh my gods! That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen!”

Dr. Chase blushed. “Well, not bad for a middle-aged mortal, I suppose.”

“But the celestial bronze bullets! How did you  _ get  _ those?”

“Ah, well. You did leave quite a few half-blood weapons in your room in Virginia, the last time you…left.”

Annabeth looked down, embarrassed. Dr. Chase was very careful not to say  _ ran away. _

“I decided to try melting some down to make bullet casings,” he continued. “Just a little experiment.”

“Dad…” Annabeth faltered.

“Annabeth, Percy,” The Doctor said, he was kneeling beside Zoë as Artemis binded the huntress’s wounds.

Zoë was shivering, and the faint glow that usually hung around her was fading.

“Can’t you heal her with magic?” Percy asked Artemis. “I mean…you’re a goddess.”

Artemis looked troubled. “Life is a fragile thing, Percy. If the Fates will the string to be cut, there is little I can do. But I can try.”

She set her hand on the back of Zoë’s head, but Zoë gripped her wrist. She looked into the goddess’s eyes, an understanding passed between them.

“Have I… served thee well?” Zoë whispered.

“With great honor,” Artemis said softly. “The finest of my attendants.”

Zoë’s face relaxed. “Rest. At Last.” She looked to Thalia, taking her hand. “I am sorry we argued.” Zoë said. “We could have been sisters.”

“It’s my fault,” Thalia said, blinking hard. “You were right about Luke, about heroes, men – everything.”

“Perhaps not all men,” Zoë murmured. She smiled weakly at Percy. “Do you still have the sword, Percy?”

Percy pulled Riptide from his pocket, placing it in her hand. She grasped it constantly. “You spoke the truth, Percy Jackson. You are nothing like…like Heracles I am honored that you carry this sword.” Finally she looked to the Doctor, “I am glad Artemis has you – the world has you.”

“Zoë…”

“No, you have served the goddess more faithfully than many. I am glad to have you as a guest of the Hunt.” She looked up at the sky as a shudder ran through her body. “Stars,” she whispered. “I can see the stars again, my lady.”

A tear trickled down Artemis’s cheek. “Yes, my brave one. They are beautiful tonight.”

“Stars,” Zoë repeated. Her eyes were fixed on the night sky. She did not move again.

The Doctor lowered his head. Artemis cupped her hand above Zoë’s mouth and spoke a few words in Ancient Greek. A silvery wisp of smoke exhaled from Zoë’s lips and was caught in the hand of the goddess. Zoë’s body shimmered and disappeared.

Artemis stood, said a blessing, breathed into her cupped hand, and released the silver dust into the sky. It flew up, sparkling, then vanished.

For a moment, nothing changed, and the far up in the sky, the stars were brighter. They made up a new constellation, the figure of a girl with a boy, running across the sky.

“Let the world honour you, my Huntress,” Artemis said. “Live forever in the stars.”

It wasn’t easy to say goodbye. The thunder and lightning still boiled over Mount Tamalpais in the north. Artemis was so upset that she flickered with silver light. The Doctor had never seen her like this before.

“I must go to Olympus immediately,” Artemis said. “I will not be able to take you, but I will send help.”

The goddess set her hand on Annabeth’s shoulder. “You are brave beyond measure, my girl. You will do what is right.”

She then looked quizzically at Thalia, as though she wasn’t sure what to make of this young daughter of Zeus. Thalia seemed reluctant to look up, but once she did, she met Artemis’s eyes, and something passed between them, causing Artemis’s gaze to soften with sympathy. She turned to Percy.

“You did well,” she said. “For a man.” She then looked to the Doctor, “Until we meet again, Doctor.”

The Doctor bowed his head. “I hope it is soon.”

The goddess then mounted her chariot, which began to glow. The group shielded their eyes, and there was a flash of silver, and Artemis was gone.

“Well,” Dr. Chase sighed. “She was impressive; though I must say, I still prefer Athena.”

Annabeth turned towards her father. “Dad, I…I’m sorry that –”

“Shh.” He hugged her. “Do what you must, my dear. I know this isn’t easy for you.” His voice was slightly shaky, but he gave Annabeth a brave smile.

From above, the sound of large wings beat. Four pegasi descended through the fog: three white winged horses and one pure black one.

“Blackjack!” Percy called. 

_ “Yo boss!”  _ Blackjack called back.  _ “You manage to stay alive okay without me?” _

“It was rough,” Percy admitted.

_ “I brought Guido, Pokpie, and Charlotte.” _

_ “How ya doin?”  _ The other three pegasi greeted.

_ “Any of these goons you want us to stampede?”  _ Blackjack asked, looking over the others.

“Nah,” Percy said. “These are my friends. We need to get to Olympus pretty fast.”

_ “No problem,”  _ Blackjack said.  _ “Except for the mortal over there. Hope he’s not going.” _

Percy assured Blackjack that Dr. Chase was indeed not accompanying them to Olympus. The professor was staring open-mouthed at the pegasi.

“Fascinating,” he said. “Such maneuverability! HOw does the wingspan compensate for the weight of the horse’s body, I wonder?”

“Dad,” Annabeth interrupted.

Dr. Chase gave his daughter a smile. “I’m sorry, my dear. I know you must go.”

He gave Annabeth one last awkward, well-meaning hug. As she turned to climb aboard the pegasus, Guido, Dr. Chase, called, “Annabeth. I know…I know San Francisco is a dangerous place for you. But please remember, you always have a home with us. We will keep you safe.”

Annabeth didn’t answer, but her eyes were red as she turned away. Dr. Chase started to say more, he apparently thought better of it. He raised his hand in a sad farewell and trudged away across the dark field.

Thalia, Annabeth, Percy,and the Doctor mounted their pegasi. Together, they soared over the bay and flew towards the eastern hills. Before long, San Francisco was only a glittering crescent behind them with the occasional flicker of lightning in the north.

Thalia was so exhausted that she fell asleep on Porkpie’s back. Percy began having a conversation with Blackjack, and so the Doctor and Annabeth flew along side by side.

“So your father, he seems nice.” The Doctor said.

“Yeah.” Annabeth said quietly. “We’ve been arguing for so many years.”

“And your step-mother too,” The Doctor said, “She seems to care a lot for you.”

Annabeth sighed. “What do you think I should do? I can’t live so far from camp.”

“That’s up to you, Annabeth.” The Doctor said. “I can’t make that decision for you.”

She hummed. “That’s the least helpful answer I’ve ever heard.”

The Doctor laughed.

“Luke’s not dead.”

The Doctor looked at her.

“I don’t know how I know, I just do.”

“I believe you.” The Doctor assured her.

The towns zipped by faster now, islands of light thicker together until the entire landscape below was a glittering carpet. Dawn was close. The eastern sky was turning gray. Up ahead, a large white and yellow glow spread out before them – the lights of New York.”

“There it is.” Thalia’s voice, she must have woken up. She was pointing towards Manhattan, which was quickly zooming into view. “It’s started.”

“What’s started?” Percy asked.

High above the Empire State Building, Olympus was its own island of light, a floating mountain ablaze with torches and braziers, white marble palaces gleaming in the early morning air.

“The winter solstice,” Thalai said. “The Council of the gods.”


	16. The Council of Olympus

The Doctor, Percy, Thalia, and Annabeth circled over midtown Manhattan, making one complete orbit around Mount Olympus. 

In the early morning darkness, torches and fires made the mountainside palaces glow twenty different colours, from bloodred to indigo. The twisting streets were full of demigods, nature spirits, and minor godlings bustling about, riding chariots or sedan chairs carried by Cyclopes. Winter didn’t seem to be present here, but the scent of the gardens was very much so. Jasmine and roses and such. Music drifted up from many windows, the soft sounds of lyres and reed pipes.

Towering at the peak of the mountain was the greatest palace of all, the glowing white hall of the gods. The pegasi set the group of heroes down in the outer courtyard before the massive silver gates, which opened at their presence.

_ “Good luck, boss,”  _ Blackjack said.

“Yeah.” Percy responded.

_ “Hey, if ya don’t come back, can I have your cabin for my stable?” _

Percy looked at the pegasus.

_ “Just a thought,”  _ he said.  _ “Sorry.”  _

Blackjack and his friends flew off, leaving Thalia, Annabeth, Percy, and the Doctor alone. Then, side by side, they walked into the throne room.

Twelve enormous thrones made a U around a central hearth, just like the placement of the cabins back at the camp. The ceiling above glittered with constellations – even the newest one, Zoë the Huntress, making her way across the heavens with her bow drawn.

All of the seats were occupied. Each god and goddess was about fifteen feet tall. 

“Welcome, heroes,” Artemis greeted.

“Mooo!”

Bessie and Grover were there as well. Bessie was suspended in a sphere of water that hovered in the center of the room, next to the hearth fire. Bessie swam around happily, swishing her serpent tail and poking her head out from the sides and bottom of the sphere. Grover was kneeling at Zeus’s throne, as if he’d just been giving a report, but when he saw the group, he cried, “You made it!”

He began to run foth, but remembered he was turning his back on Zeus, and looked for permission.

“Go on,” Zeus said, but he wasn’t really paying attention to Grover. The lord of the sky was staring intently at Thalia.

Grover trotted over. None of the gods spoke. Every clop of Grover’s hooves echoed on the marble floor. Bessie splashed in the bubble of water. The hearth fire crackled.

Percy looked anxiously at his father. The god of the sea was wearing beach shorts, a Hawiian shirt, and sandals. He had a weathered suntanned face with a dark beard and deep green eyes.

Grover gave Annabeth, Thalia, Percy, and the Doctor big hugs. “Bessie and I made it! But you have to convince them! They can’t do it!”

“Do what?” The Doctor inquired.

“Heroes,” Artemis called.

The goddess slid down from her throne and turned into a more human size, a young auburn-haired girl, perfectly at ease in the midst of the giant Olympians. She walked towards the group, her silver robes shimmering. There was no emotion in her face. She seemed to walk in a column of moonlight.

“The Council has been informed of your deeds,” Artemis said. “They know that Mount Othrys is rising in the West. They know of Atlas’s attempt for freedom, and the gathering armies of Kronos. We have voted to act.”

There was some mumbling and shuffling amongst the gods, as though they were not all happy with this plan, yet nobody protested.

“At my Lord Zeus’s command,” Artemis said, “My brother Apollo and I shall hunt the most powerful monsters, seeking to strike them down before they can join the Titans’ cause. Lady Athena shall personally check on the other Titans to make sure they do not escape their various prisons. Lord Poseidon has been given permission to unleash his full fury on the cruise ship,  _ Princess Andromeda  _ and send it to the bottom of the sea. And as for you, my heroes…”

She turned to face the other immortals. “These children have done Olympus a great service. Would any here deny that?”

She looked around at the assembled gods, meeting their faces individually. Zeus in his dark pin-striped suit, his black beard neatly trimmed, his eyes sparkling with energy. Beside him sat the beautiful Lady Hera, silver hair braided over one shoulder and a dress that shimmered colours like peacock feathers.

On Zeus’s right was Poseidon, and beside him was Hephaestus. Hermes winked at the children. He was wearing a business suit today, checking messages on his caduceus mobile phone. Apollo leaned back in his golden throne with his shades on. He had iPod headphones on, but gave the group a thumbs-up anyways. Dionysus looked bored, twirling a grape vine between his fingers. Ares, on the other hand, sat on his chrome and leather throne, glowering at Percy whilst he sharpened a knife.

On the ladies’ side of the throne room, a dark-haired goddess in green robes sat beside Hera on a throne woven of apple-tree branches. Demeter, goddess of the harvest. Beside her sat a beautiful gray-eyed woman in an elegant white dress. Athena. Then there was Aphrodite, who smiled at Percy knowingly, causing the boy to blush.

“I gotta say,” Apollo broke the silence, “These kids did okay.” He cleared his throat and began to recite:  _ “Heroes win laurels –” _

“Um, yes, first class,” Hermes interrupted, anxious to avoid Apollo’s poetry. “All in favor of not disintegrating them?”

A few tentative hands went up: Demeter, Aphrodite, Apollo, Poseidon, Artemis.

“Wait just a minute,” Ares growled. He pointed at Thalia and Percy. “These two are dangerous. It’d be much safer whilst we’ve got them here –”

“Ares,” Poseidon interrupted, “They are worthy heroes. We will not blast my son to bits.”

“Nor my daughter,” Zeus grumbled. “She has done well.”

Thalia blushed and studied the floor.

Athena cleared her throat and sat forth. “I am proud of my daughter as well, but there is a security risk here with the other two.”

“Mother!” Annabeth said. “How could you –”

Athena cut her off with a calm but firm look. “It is unfortunate that my father, Zeus, and my uncle, Poseidon, chose to break their oath not to have more children. Only Hades kept his word, a fact that I find ironic. As we know from the Great Prophecy, children of the three elder gods…such as Thalia and Percy…are dangerous. As thick-headed as he is, Ares has a point.”

“Right!” Ares said. “Hey, wait a minute. Who you callin’ –”

He began to get up, but a grape vine grew around his waist like a seat belt and pulled him back down. 

“Oh, please, Ares,” Dionysus sighed. “Save the fighting for later.”

Ares cursed and ripped away the vine. “You’re one to talk, you old drunk. You seriously want to protect these brats?”

Dionysus gazed down at the children wearily. “I have no love for them. Athena, do you truly think it is safest to destroy them?”

“I do not pass judgement,” Athena said. “I only point out the risk. What we do, the Council must decide.”

“I will not have them punished,” Artemis said. “I will have them rewarded. If we destroy heroes who do us great favour, then we are no better than the Titans. If this is Olympian justice, I will have none of it.”

“Calm down, sis,” Apollo said. “Jeez, you need to lighten up.”

“Don’t call me  _ sis _ ! I will reward them.”

“Well,” Zeus grumbled. “Perhaps. But the monster at least must be destroyed. We have an agreement on that?”

A lot of nodding heads.

“Bessie?” Percy asked. “You want to destroy Bessie?”

“Moooooo!” Bessie protested.

Poseidon frowned. “You have named the Ophiotaurus Bessie?”

“Dad,” Percy said, “She’s a sea creature. A really  _ nice  _ sea creature. You can’t destroy her.”

Poseidon shifted uncomfortably. “Percy, the monster’s power is considerable. If the Titans were to steal it, or –”

“You can’t,” Percy insisted, looking at Zeus directly in the eye. “Controlling the prophecies never works. Isn’t that true? Besides, Bess – the Ophiotaurus is innocent. Killing something like that is wrong. It’s just as wrong as…as Kronos eating his children, just because of something they  _ might  _ do. It’s wrong!”

Zeus seemed to consider this. His eyes drifted to his daughter Thalia. “And what of the risk? Kronos knows full well, if one of you were to sacrifice the beast’s entrails, you would have the power to destroy us. Do you think we can let that possibility remain? You, my daughter, will turn sixteen on the morrow, just as the prophecy says.”

“You have to trust them,” Annabeth spoke up. “Sir, you have to trust them.”

Zeus scowled. “Trust a hero?”

“Annabeth is right,” Artemis said. “Which is why I must first make a reward. My faithful companion Zoë Nightshade, has passed into the stars. I must have a new lieutenant. And I intend to choose one. But first, Father Zeus, I must speak to you privately.”

Zeus beckoned Artemis forth, leaning down and listening as she spoke in his ear.

Finally, she turned back to the children. “I shall have a new lieutenant,” she announced, “If she will accept it.” She took a breath, “Thalia, Daughter of Zeus. Will you join the Hunt?”

Stunned silence filled the room. Annabeth smiled, squeezing Thalia’s hand and let it go. She had known this would happen. 

“I will.” Thalia said firmly.

Zeus rose, his eyes full of concern. “My daughter, consider well –”

“Father,” she said. “I will not turn sixteen tomorrow. I will never turn sixteen. I won’t let this prophecy be mine. I stand with my sister Artemis. Kronos will never tempt me again.”

She knelt before the goddess and began the words of the oath: “I pledge myself to the goddess Artemis. I turn my back on the company of men…”

After the pledge, Thalia ran towards the group of young heroes and embraced Percy. When she pulled away, Percy asked, “Um…aren’t you supposed to not do that anymore? Hug boys, I mean?”

“I’m honouring a friend,” she corrected. “I  _ must  _ join the Hunt, Percy. I haven’t known peace since…since Half-Blood Hill. I finally feel like I have a home. But you’re a hero. You will be the one of the prophecy.”

“Great.” Percy muttered.

“I’m proud to be your friend.”

She hugged Annabeth, who was trying hard not to cry. Thalia then hugged Grover, who looked just about ready to pass out. Finally, she hugged the Doctor. “Keep them safe.”

“I will.”

Thalia went to stand by Artemis’s side.

“Now for the Ophiotaurus,” Artemis said.

“This boy is still dangerous,” Dionysus warned. “The beast is a temptation to great power. Even if we spare the boy –”

“No.” Percy looked around at all the gods. “Please. Keep the Ophiotaurus safe. My dad can hide her under the sea somewhere, or keep her safe in an aquarium here in Olympus. But you have to protect her.”

“And why should we trust you?” Hephaestus rumbled.

“I’m only fourteen,” Percy said. “If this prophecy is about me, that’s two more years.”

“Two years for Kronos to deceive you,” Athena said. “Much can change in two years, my young hero.”

“Mother!” Annabeth said, exasperated.

“It is only the truth, child. It is bad strategy to keep the animal alive. Or the boy.”

Poseidon stood. “I will not have a sea creature destroyed, if I can help it. And I  _ can  _ help it.”

He held out his hand, and a trident appeared in it: a massive bronze shaft with three spear tips that shimmered with blue, watery light. “I will vouch for the boy and the safety of the Ophiotaurus.”

“You won’t take it under the sea!” Zeus stood suddenly. “I won’t have that kind of bargaining chip in your possession.”

“Brother, please,” Poseidon sighed.

Zeus’s lightning bolt appeared in his hand, a shaft of electricity that filled the entire room with the smell of ozone.

“Fine,” Poseidon said. “I will build an aquarium for the creature here. Hephaestus can help me. The creature will be safe. We shall protect it with all our powers. The boy will not betray us. I vouch for this on my honour.”

Zeus considered this. “All in favour?”

A number of hands went up. Dionysus abstained, as did Ares and Athena, but everyone else…

“We have a majority,” Zeus decreed. “And so, since we will not be destroying these heroes…I imagine we should honour them. Let the triumph celebration begin!”

The Doctor had been to many great parties in his days, but this was certainly up there as one of the greatest. The Nine Muses cranked up the music, and the Doctor allowed himself to sway slightly to the Gallifreyan tunes, for the music was that which you wanted to hear. 

Dionysus went around growing refreshment stands out of the ground, arm in arm with his wife, Ariadne. For the first time, the Doctor saw Dionysus look genuinely happy. Nectar and ambrosia overflowed from golden fountains and platters of mortal snack food crowded the banquet tables. Golden goblets filled with whatever drink was desired. Grover trotted around with a full plate of enchiladas, and his goblet was full of double-espresso latte, which he kept muttering over like an incantation: “Pan! Pan!”

The gods had reduced themselves to human size, and the Doctor observed as many came up to congratulate Percy. Athena spoke harshly to him about his friendship with her daughter, and finally, Percy grabbed Annabeth’s hand and they began to dance. From the corner of his eye, the Doctor could see Aphrodite watching with satisfaction.


	17. The Return to Camp

Compared to Mount Olympus, Manhattan was quiet. Friday before Christmas, but it was early in the morning, and hardly anyone was on Fifth Avenue. Argus picked up the Doctor, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover at the Empire State Building and ferried them back to camp through the light snowstorm. The Long Island Expressway was nearly deserted.

Chiron greeted them at the Big House with hot chocolate and toasted cheese sandwiches. Grover went off with his satyr friends to spread the word about their interesting encounter with the magic of Pan. Within an hour, the satyrs were all running around agitated, asking where the nearest espresso bar was.

The Doctor sat with Annabeth, Percy, Chiron, and some of the other senior campers – Bekendorf, Silena Beauregard, and the Stoll Brothers. Even Clarisse was there, back from her secretive scouting mission. She had a new scar on her chin and her dirty blond hair had been cut short and ragged.

“I got news,” she mumbled uneasily. “ _ Bad  _ news.”

“I’ll fill you in later,” Chiron said with forced cheerfulness. “The important thing is you have prevailed. And you have saved Annabeth!”

Annabeth smiled gratefully.

“Luke is alive.” Percy said after a long moment.

Annabeth sat up. “How do you know?”

“My dad, he told me that he’s seen him. His boat is sailing from San Francisco with the remains of Kronos.”

“Well,” Annabeth shifted uncomfortably in her chair. “If the final battle does come when Percy is sixteen, at least we have two more years to figure something out.”

Chiron’s expression was gloomy. Sitting by the fire in his wheelchair, the Doctor could see the age in his young features. It was something he was very familiar with.

“Two years may seem like a long time,” he said. “But it is the blink of an eye. I still hope you are not the child of the prophecy, Percy. But if you are, then the second Titan war is almost upon us. Kronos’s first strike will be here.”

“How do you know?” Percy asked. “Why would he care about camp?”

“Because the gods use heroes as their tools,” The Doctor answered for the centaur, “Destroy the tools, and the gods would be crippled. Luke’s forces will come here. Mortal, demigod, monsterous…”

“We must be prepared,” Chiron agreed. “Clarisse’s news may give us a clue as to how they will attack, but –”

There was a knock on the door, and Nico di Angelo came huffing into the parlor, his cheeks bright red from the cold.

He was smiling, but he looked around anxiously. “Hey! Where’s…where’s my sister?”

Dead silence fell. No one had told Nico yet.

“Nico,” The Doctor said, standing up, “Walk with me.”

They made their way outside, and the Doctor sat him down on the beach before giving him the news. He took it in silence. “She was braver than any of us,” The Doctor told him. He then pressed the figurine into his hands, “She wanted you to have this.”

There was a long silence.

“You promised you would protect her.” Nico said.

“Yes.” The Doctor said. “Yes I did. You have every right to hate me, but if it means anything, I  _ do  _ know how you feel.”

“No!” The boy cried out. “No! You’re not supposed to agree! You lied to me! I should never have trusted you! My nightmares were right!”

“Nico…”

“I hate you!” He flung the statue to the ground, it clattered across the icy marble.” He let out a sob. “She’s dead. She’s in the Fields of Asphodel, standing before the judges right now, being evaluated. I can feel it.”

“What?”

Nico gasped. The Doctor whirled around, finding himself faced with four skeleton warriors. They grinned fleshless grins and advanced with swords drawn.

“RUN!” The Doctor shouted, but Nico shouted back.

“I don’t trust you! You’re trying to kill me!”

The Doctor was knocked back by the skeleton, the blade sliding across his abdomen.

“Nico, run!”

“No!” He pressed his hands to his ears.

The Doctor pulled out his sonic, but it was knocked from his hands. The skeletons bared down on the boy, about to send a killing blow.

“No!” Nico shouted louder.  _ “Go away!” _

The ground rumbled beneath the Time Lord. The skeletons froze. The Doctor rolled out of the way just as a crack opened at the feet of the four warriors. The ground ripped apart and flames erupted from the fissure and the earth swallowed the skeletons.

_ CRUNCH! _

Silence.

“Nico –”

“Go away!” Nico yelled. “I hate you! I wish you were dead!”

Nico ran from the beach and into the woods. The Doctor sighed, picking up the statue from the ground. It was the statue of Hades. 

The Doctor spent hours searching the forest for the boy but came up empty handed. After a while, Annabeth, Percy, and Grover tried to help, but there was no sign of the boy.

“We have to tell Chiron.” Annabeth said, out of breath.

“No.” Percy said.

“Um,” Grover said nervously, “what do you mean…no?”

“We can’t let anyone know. If the Doctor’s right, if he really is a son of Hades…”

“We  _ have  _ to tell him, though.” Annabeth said. “Do you have any idea how serious this is? Even Hades broke the oath! This is horrible!”

“I don’t think he did.” The Doctor said. 

_ “What?” _

“Bianca and Nico were in the Lotus Casino for a long time. Since before the second world war. They were born before the oath was made.”

“But how did they get out?” Annabeth protested.

“I don’t know.” The Doctor ran a hand through his hair. “Bianca said a lawyer came to get them and drove them to Westover Hall. Nico doesn’t understand who he is. I’m actually inclined to agree with Percy. If word gets to Olympus…”

“It might start them fighting amongst each other again,” Annabeth said. “That’s the last thing we need.”

“But you can’t hide things from the gods,” Grover said, looking worried. “Not forever.”

“We don’t need forever,” Percy pointed out. “Just two years. Until I’m sixteen.”

“Percy,” The Doctor said quietly, “This means the prophecy may  _ not  _ be about you.”

“No,” Percy said. “I choose the prophecy. It will be about me.”

“Why are you saying that?” Annabeth cried. “You want to be responsible for the whole world?”

“I can’t let Nico be in any more danger.” Percy said. “But first we have to find him.”

Annabeth shivered. “If Luke gets hold of him –”

“He won’t.” The Doctor said firmly, fury sliding through his voice. “He’ll have other things to worry about. Like me.”

Chiron didn’t seem to completely believe the story the Doctor, Percy, and Annabeth reported to him about Nico’s disappearance, but in the end, he accepted it. Unfortunately, Nico wasn’t the first half-blood to disappear.

“So young,” Chiron sighed, his hands on the rail of the front porch. “Alas, I hope he was eaten by monsters. Much better than being recruited into the Titans’ army.”

“You really think the first attack will be here?” Percy asked.

Chiron stared at the snow falling on the hills. “It will not be until summer, at least,” Chiron said. “This winter will be hard…the hardest for many centuries. It’s best that you go home to the city, Percy; try to keep your mind on school. And rest. You will need rest.”

Percy looked at Annabeth. “What about you?”

Annabeth’s cheeks flushed. “I’m going to try San Francisco after all. Maybe I can keep an eye on Mount Tam, make sure the Titans don’t try anything else.”

“You’ll send an Iris-message if anything goes wrong?”

She nodded. “But I think Chiron’s right. It won’t be until the summer. Luke will need time to regain his strength.”

“If you need anything,” The Doctor said, “Send an Iris-message to the TARDIS. She’ll know where that is.”

“Take care of yourself,” Annabeth smiled, “And Percy –”

But whatever she was going to say was interrupted by Grover, who stumbled out of the Big House, tripping over tin cans. His face was haggard and pale.

“He spoke!” The satyr cried.

“Calm down, my young satyr,” Chiron said, frowning. “What is the matter?”

“I…I was playing music in the parlor,” he stammered, “and drinking coffee. Lots and lots of coffee! And he spoke in my mind!”

“Who?” Annabeth demanded.

“Pan!” Grover wailed. “The Lord of the Wild himself. I heard him! I have to…I have to find a suitcase.”  
“What did he say?” The Doctor asked.

Grover stared at him. “Just three words. He said,  _ ‘I await you.’ _ ” 


End file.
